Let's take a make-believe vacation

[narcissistictendencies]

Who: Tony Stark and You (meaning, whoever wants to stop by)
When: 216?
Where: Tony's Lab
What: Tony in his lab doing Tony things. ...the age appropriate Tony things.
Warnings: None that I can think of? Just shenanigans.


Tony has actually been pretty busy and probably very scarce lately. The mechanical genius has been keeping to his lab and only leaves when he's forced to do so by splitting migraines. Those following his work would know he had found, modified, and reprogrammed a few nanites to delve under his skin and use them as an interface to reprogram the micro computers also under his skin that had once been used to summon his suit. Well, that little skill isn't very necessary here, and though the prehensile suit had been a terrific idea for back home, he had a better use for those computers.

Most of them had been re-purposed into monitoring his vitals, short-range sensors, wireless data-transfer to his phone--usually info sharing between his vitals and JARVIS--among other little basic Tony Stark needs with the help of the nanites. He had other intentions for them, but those were more in depth and time consuming, so they could wait.

From time to time, he likely had one or two young lab assistants, but to be completely honest, he lost track of when they came and went. He also lost track of what day it was, when he last ate, if he'd slept recently, or who was actually in the room when he started babbling. Fortunately, if he was alone, he had that mobile mini JARVIS app to respond to him, so he seemed less like he was losing his mind. Unfortunately, when he actually didn't expect a response, sometimes he got one and it would drag him from his head space to blink around at the world like a dazed deer caught in headlights.

At the moment, he was working on a strange piece of tech that the lab so graciously dumped on him while he slept. Hey, he wouldn't turn down gifts of weird technology, but he would appreciate someone at least leave a user manual with it. Or a Terms of Use. Maybe an EULA... Something! With that thought of frustration, the device discharged some kind of current--conducted through the tool in Tony's hand--to deliver a rather startling jolt up Tony's arm. The tool clattered to the floor as did the chair he'd been sitting in when he jumped up from it, muttering irately and pacing a small semi-circle away from the table.

"See? This is why I need my workshop! Do you hear me?!" He shouted angrily, looking up at the lights in the ceiling while rubbing the remaining jolt out of his arm. Oh, he was talking to the Machine, but it probably didn't care. He had angry outbursts from time to time when things didn't go his way. It was... normal. But if anyone were to walk in on him, or already be in the same room, this had been his first outburst after hours of silence. It was time for a break before he broke something. Someone might take this moment to distract him with conversation.

Comments

[clearasil]

Natalie, who had been sitting there for a few hours quietly murmuring to herself as she thought out loud, often chatting with JARVIS for a little tech help here and there, looked up suddenly from her work. She had been interested in a device she found somewhere in the building that look vaguely like a tablet from home, but she couldn't have been sure. Perhaps there was a way to program it to include books and other things that a teenager might need to keep herself from going completely batshit. Along with learning for the sake of learning, it was one of the main factors in driving her to actually be a competent tech person.

"Ouch," she said helpfully, standing up and pushing the goggles up her forehead, holding her hair back.

[narcissistictendencies]

"Yep." Tony agreed, shaking the jolt out of his arm. That one would linger for a while. A very long while if the ache in his knuckles and elbow were anything to go by.

"Yep, yep." He agreed again, turning completely away from his project to face her. He was probably five minutes from threatening it to cooperate, so it was probably best he take a breather before he made himself look crazier than he actually was. "What're you working on?" He nodded over to the tablet-like device. "I need to take a break from this thing before I declare war on whatever planet it came from for trolling me." He may or may not have said that with a bit more force than necessary. Hopefully she knew by now that none of his ire was aimed at her.

[clearasil]

Adults using colloquial internet-based language like 'trolling' would never cease to amuse Natalie, but then again, she also figured that Tony was not a typical adult.

Her eyebrows shot up and she worked the amusement out of her expression slowly because now was not a very good time to be amused. "Well, I'm trying to turn this on. I keep getting a startup screen and then it shuts itself down," Natalie explained, creasing her brow, the hand clutching a screwdriver resting sassily on her hip. "I dunno what it is. I just found it and I thought I could make some use of it."

[narcissistictendencies]

Tony was certainly not your typical adult. He was, as Pepper had said before, a big kid at times. With his toys and obsessions and need to be up on everything current. HE furrowed his brow and looked the device over.

"As in, it looks like mechanical failure or like a corrupt operating system? I can fix both. But I can walk you through fixing mechanical failure a lot easier than repairing the operating system. Because if I fix everything, you won't learn anything, right?" Oh, but the desire to fix everything was in his blood. However, so was the desire to see others using their brains and potential. So, in favour of expanding her knowledge, he could stave off the Mr. Fix-It drive for the time being.

[clearasil]

"I definitely would not want you to fix it for me," she agreed with a smile.

"I think it's mechanical failure. I managed to open it but there's only so much that I already know how to do." And she had already spent a great deal of time going to the library and reading up on this sort of thing, often bringing books back to the workshop or her bedroom. "The screen's all good, but I think there's gotta be something wrong with the power. Like, where and how do I charge it?"

"Or," she added suddenly, "how can I build a new charger for the port here?"

[narcissistictendencies]

"Good. Then we're in agreement." He crossed the room to the tablet in question, giving it a good once-over. "Not bad. A charger, actually, isn't all that difficult to cobble together. Even with the limited materials left to us by the oh-so-possessive caretaker." Anyone get the hint that he still doesn't like being held against his will? Hey, ask him to work here and help out, sure. Kidnap him? He gets a little pissy. For a very long time.

"I have a box of spare parts I've been keeping around for just these kinds of situations." Oh yes, he was very proud of himself.

[clearasil]

"I don't expect this to be, like, an iPad mini but if I can fix this doodad, I'll consider that a step in the right direction as an apprentice,' Natalie decided. She wasn't any happier about this situation; being thrown for a loop, having her life pulled in another direction has never ever sat well with someone who preferred even a semblance of a routine, normalcy. Whatever that was.

'What do you think about it?" It's opened and it looks a little too simple to match the modern technology she's familiar with, "Or the tech you've found here, in general?"