This is the log from the night Clockwork got his dragonish replica of his body. There's quite a bit beforehand stuff to explain things, and quite a bit of after-event things, to show what he did after wards. As a note, I didn't spell check any of this. I suck.
Kayle waves at Clockwork. "Hey. Was wondering when someone'd show up."
Clockwork arcs back and forth for a few moments, as it arives. It, perhaps, looks a bit dizzy for a nonce... It notices Kayle, and arcs over to him, gently bumping up against the Turbojey, before backing off. " I've been putting down my memories. Lupe... Lupe is a wall that frightens me, but she's cute."
Kayle raises an eyebrow. "Haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, m'self.."
Clockwork arcs up and down briefly, and gives an absent glance around. " I'm awefully confused by her."
Kayle chuckles. "You'll get used to it."
Clockwork bobs his head slightly, seemingly to consider. " I keep getting the feeling that I want another fleshybody... not Like the bobbledoll that I can be in, but like a real Flesh body... Or maybe a body like the gryphon's. I..."It stops himself, as if about to say something, then deciding better upon it.
Kayle tilts his head. "Go on, I'm interested."
Clockwork arcs back and forth for a few moments... really seeming to think about his dilema... finally, he stops and says. " I miss other parts of me."
Kayle says, "Like what?"
Clockwork seems to be trying to not say what he wants, but also say it.. as if the lightningbolt is having a moral dilema. It offers up." Well, uh. Where I used to live, There was this tribe of people that believed you wandered the world with one arm and one leg... and, uh, when you found someone that was compatable... you could work better, uh.., you know, having both arms and legs. And, I... I mean... I miss my other arm and leg."
Kayle snorts. "You miss the soft, squishy bits that made you feel good, huh?"
Clockwork glances down for a few moments. " Why'd you get that implant?" he asks softly, not joking, but perhaps trying to show his point.
Kayle chuckles. "Okay, so I shouldn't be one to tease. Same reason."
Clockwork arcs back and forth for a few minutes, and finally says. " I think Lupe's wall reminded me of why I'm like this... but I can't remember for certain, I don't have much memory of what happened in the wall. All I know is that I keep feeling like I'm missing a part of me, and that I should go find it."
Kayle snaps his fingers and grins. "Hey, there's an idea. Maybe build a body for yourself?"
Clockwork chuckles softly, and arcs up and down, in agreement. " I've been working on that, a bit, actually... but I was thinking that maybe you're right... maybe I should try to make a body like I used to have."
Kayle smiles. "Yea. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." Clockwork tries to scratch itself, and blinks... then softly murmurs a "whoa" as it realizes that it didn't have an itch, but was rather thinking about what it was like to be ... well, like his older selves.
Induction-Coil walks down from the elevated freeway and towards the main area of Downwarp.
Kayle waves at Indi, and smiles at Clockwork. "I'm serious. It's no problem to rebuild yourself, even around here."
Clockwork bobs it's head again, and starts to say " Maybe I could get the gridshamans to help me with the ..." and he stops, as if suddenly recalling something...
Kayle chuckles. "Well, hell. Down is practically crawlin' with 'em..."
Induction-Coil grins and waves, swishing his tail. "Mmm, I should add 'good timing' to my list of qualifications. Hi guys!"
Kayle grins. "Maybe it's some sense you don't pay much attention to, but listen to anyway?"
Induction-Coil smiles. "I'll admit I feel I have a bit of guidance at times."
Clockwork glances up, and over to Indi, He acrs across to the 'yote, shedding a bit of static by way of friendly greeting, before moving back to Kayle. " Your punctuality is quite a fort, I must say.
Induction-Coil smiles, reaching closer to the arcing Clockwork than most might dare, returning the greeting, then sitting down and looking around. "So what's going on?"
Kayle snickers. "He's fondly remembering certain bits of anatomy."
Induction-Coil grins at Kayle. "Ones that could have spoilers and spinners and ground effects?"
Kayle chokes off a gigglefit and looks far too amused at that comment.
Clockwork seems, simply, confused. " What are spoilers and spinners and ground effects?"
Induction-Coil giggles and glances at Kayle. He decides it's best to say just "Mmm, never mind."
Kayle noogies Indi, in a fit of passion.
Induction-Coil yelps and tries hopping back, giggling and covering his head. "Hey!"
Kayle grins and lets up. "I can't stay mad at you. Yer all glowy."
Induction-Coil giggles and tailswishes. "Yep! Thanks."
Clockwork arcs back and forth, a bit back from Kayle and Indi... then, as a moment of randomness hits it, it arcs past Induction-coil, and uses his own personal "field" to bounce off, like a trampoline, only with out the tramp. Induction-Coil yips, and giggles, watching Clockwork, his markings flaring into surprising brightness as the electrical disturbance gets close. "Ooh. Cool.
Clockwork giggles sillily(is that even a word?), and arcs in place. " okay, Okay... if I'm going to do this whole make a body thing... will you guys help me set up the materials so I can put 'em together and make 'em, well... work? I donno if I should follow what I used to look like, or maybe make a more, uh... modern approach."
Induction-Coil grins. "You're gonna make a whole body? Oh, wow, cool.. Yeah, I'd lvoe to help...
Kayle shrugs. "Count me in." He grins at Indi. "Y'might need someone to keep this joker under control."
Clockwork arcs back and forth excitedly, and tries to think. " So... what do you guys think?" He pauses, summoning it's pile, and arcing into it..." Old school, or new hotness?"
Kayle says, "A little of both, maybe?"
Clockwork bobs up and down slightly, half in his pile, and starts broadcasting across the radio what he looked like, long, long ago. The image is of a gold and silver dragon, the gold mostly in the body, and the silver swirled in about his wings. The dragonis all sharp angles and twists, almost fierce looking in it's mechanical design. It, seemingly is of the western variety, made to mimic them in shape and design. The only thing that doesn't quite fit in... is the small key upon it's back, set between the wings. Incidentally, it's eyes are bright, vivid emeralds, it's teeth bloody looking rubies, and it's claws sparkling diamonds.
Kayle raises an eyebrow, reviewing the image. "Interesting...shouldn't be too hard to emulate or even recreate, either...
Clockwork shakes his head, sort of. " I don't think so either...but, well, I've never made myself before. What sort of things do you think I might need?"
Kayle shrugs. "No idea."
Chris walks down from the elevated freeway and towards the main area of Downwarp.
Induction-Coil smiles and waves to Chris. "Hey there."
Kayle waves at Chris. "Welcome to the gathering, or something."
Chris smirks. "Hey, I know how it goes. This place became a Strange Attractor. Merely by having people around and showing up on the public rooms data display. " Kayle blinks out of a funk. Must've been digging through his OS. "Hm?"
Chris grins cryptically. "Ah, nothing. It was a lame joke."
Kayle blinks a bit. "Oh...kay. Guess I didn't miss anything, then."
Clockwork's speaker crackes softly with a nonsequiter. " Porkchop sandwiches!" Kayle peers at Clockwork's pile, and steps back a pace.
Chris laughs.
Clockwork arcs out of it's Pile, bounces off of Indi, just briefly, arcs into Kayle(grounding out to the ground), and arcs across to Chris to float above him, trying to make his hair stand on end.
Kayle's skin ripples. "That tickled..."
Induction-Coil grins at Clockwork. "I dunno why you keep just bouncing off me. I usually get along well with your sort."
Chris's hair does indeed stand on end. "Ooooh. Sparkly."
Clockwork Giggles merrily, and dissapears into his pile again. " You're all electrically on the outside, makes for a good slide!"
Induction-Coil puts a hand on the pile, not minding that it may be live. "Yeah? Hm. Cool...
Clockwork's pile is, well, live, bit his electrical connections don't break... seemingly affixed in place rather well.. in fact, the seem to arc around Indi's hand...
Induction-Coil mmms, and grins, lifting his hand a bit, trying to play gently with the arcing power. He seems to have, for lack of a better work for it, an affinity with electricity. He doesn't absorb it or repet it, really, he just doesn't seem to be affected by it in the usual detriemental ways.
Clockwork seems to notice what's happenning, and slowly pushes out a couple hundred volts, arced broadly between points upon It(him)self. enough that it might be usable like putty.
Kayle watches Indi, curious.
Induction-Coil chuckles and hmms, reaching a hand through that potential, wiggling fingers.. His marings glow particularly brightly near Clockwork, and he brings anotuer hand around, feeling the power pull to his hands and bringing it in to shape gently, just playing around back and forth, enjoying the novel feeling.
Clockwork's bit of spark(as he sort of is the embodiment of spark) is almost alive. It's spirit easily felt in the electrons that it shifts and manipulates and sheds. Each electron holds an instant's memory, each electron charged with memory.
Chris watches, very curious. "That's so wavy."
Induction-Coil smiles, and reaches a bit deeper.. not physically so much, but in control. He tries to give the electrons a bit more cohesion, complex tugs and supports that don't seem to even relaly make sense in terms of physics, but speak to those little electron 'spirits' allowing waht's animating them to try to take a shape apart from arc and pile...
Clockwork is sort of like a sodium arc lamp- the really old ones where you could actually see the arc-, save that there's no "bulb" or sodium... just a bit of itself spread between two points. ... The manipulating... the urging, confuses firstly the lightningbolt... It pushes away from it's Pile of electronics, almost fully surrounding the holding hands. There, almost, seems to be something trying to take shape. Something more almost there, memories from the past, not the electron's memories, but rather the core's memories, trying to come forward, trying to 'step out', sort of...
Induction-Coil shake sa bit, breathing hard, as he pulls the spark gently from it's place. He looks back at Kayle and Chris. "Think either of you could..g et me some music?" he gasps out.
Kayle nudges Chris. "You're the one with the headphones."
Chris grins. "Yeah, was just thinking that. Hm."
Induction-Coil says, "Instantiate speakers?"
Chris sets the headphones around Indi's neck, since they probably won't fit around his ears. He taps on a function key on his keyboard and the volume raises so the music is audible from a good deal away. It's hard psy-trance with tweaky blips and bleeps.
Induction-Coil raises eyebrows, ears twitching as he starts to listen. "Wow..." he murrs. "Good stuff." He seems to dance, now, drawing clockwork up, moving his hands to the beat, twirlin them around each other, shaping the energy, into just a ball for now, hoping to give Clockwork the push it needs...
Clockwork is like a lump of clay, rough edged and slightly stick, in Induction-Coil's hands. Each peice of it trying to hold it's shape as it's pushed further to form. Electrons, energy, spark, always fluid binds against itself as if trying to over come it's natural tendency to be fluid, trying to follow the 'Shaman's urgings. Slowly, the energy works itself into a rough ball of light and lightning.
Induction-Coil keeps moving, dancing, pulling out parts of Clockwork-stuff occasionally, chainging the form aimlessly,g ently.. "Come on.." He urges. "Said you wanted a body.. I'll help you try things out..."
Clockwork grows, almost. A slight draft fills the area as power is pulled from the air and turned into more of the Lightningbolt's self. Where normally this would result in the shedding of other electrons, instead, it gathers in the ball, and as the parts are pulled from him, the stay in place. It, seemingly, is like it can hold itself in place, and almost, barely, mannaged to push itself further...
Induction-Coil nods, gloding hands over the extents of the form, helping keep it together. "If you wanna try something more, just.. tell me. I'll try and help....
Clockwork speaks... no, not it, but something inside, something older, more commanding and, perhaps, fatherly. " I am here... but I cannot live in this here. Instead, let him be me in para-form." The image is flashed, just briefly, like a single strobing of a light, of what clockwork looked like, so long ago, when it, he, truely was Clockwork. It, mayhaps, would take a number of artisans an unequally long time to recreate what he was, once, but as he is now, so fluid... perhaps with the right shape being moulded into place, the rest may come. With the image of the dragon in mind, it might, be possible to make the shape with the energy-clay.
Induction-Coil twitches ears, listening as well as he knows how, and nods slowly.. He alters his movements to a simple dragon form, suggesting neck, wings, legs, tail... He watches the ball of energy, smiling hopefully, hands still coaxing, offering form...
Chris dances nearby, eyes half-closed, swirling his hands around to the music while watching Indi and the lightning bolt.
Clockwork, as his shape becomes more defined, starts pushing from the inside, urging the change on. and then it's like a release... as if the energy simply shed away completely... like a failure that results in a blinding flash. Indi'd pushed so hard to make it come about, and clockwork desired so hard to be "A real boy", to paraphrase... and... all that's left is this dragon.
Like most climactic acts, this is faintly disappointing.
Induction-Coil yips softly, and steps back at the flash, rahter surprised. He blinks against the afterimages, murmuring "Sorry...?" ...until he sees what's left standing there.
Clockwork pushes himself to his feet slowly, and starts to speak... actually speak, not create sound from his never-ending memory of sound..." I'm sorry Indi, I don't think it..." and then he stops, that's not his usual timbre of voice... nor does everything feel the same...
Induction-Coil blinks, looking rather shocked, himself. "That's.. not quite what I'd expected to happen..."
Clockwork tries to look at himself. " What happened?" it asks once, turning itself about several times, almost falling over himself. Curious, he doesn't seem to have any trouble at all moving about... " I can't see me... do you have a mirror? A camera maybe? A puddle of water, perhaps?"
Kayle holds out a hand, and the surface on the palm flattens into a respectable mirror. "How's this?"
Induction-Coil says, "You're.. uh.. I just tohught shaping you into energy dragon form might help..."
Clockwork carefully takes Kayle's hand in, well, hand, and peers at himself. He shifts about, cocking his head this way and that, and softly murmur, " Bloody hell... I look just like I did back when Mortimer hammered me out." It blinks several times, and leaps/pounces t'wards Indi, laughing uproariously at as something catches his attention... his pile sits were it was, seemingly inactive, no arcing between it...
Induction-Coil giggles, stumbling back slightly, but accepting the pounce happily. "Well.. you're not so sparky, but.. you look really neet.." he smiles. "Guess you got your body, huh...?"
Kayle smiles. "It's amazing what thought can do around here, hm?" Clockwork licks Indi's face for a few moments... curious, his tongue is metal... and slightly oily... and, further curious... he's still energy... on the inside... on the outside, it's like he instantinated the body... only the instantinator doesn't, well, instantinate 'artsy' things like that, atleast not usually.
Induction-Coil giggles brightly and swishes his tail, trying a hug of the shiny dragon. "Glad I could help..."
Clockwork hugs, readily, and is off again. He's not quite any bit near so quick as he was a few moments ago, but he definately is quite a bit more fluid, as opposed to sudden and jerky. He scrambles up to Kayle, and goes his darndest to hug him, too.
Chris laughs at the sudden pounce, clapping for the transformation.
Kayle squirms a bit, mainly to keep from getting his vectorpanels crushed, and applies a liberal amount of hug in return.
Clockwork is careful... well, not really, he's rather happy. He turns from Kayle, and b-lines for Chris... seemingly, everyone's getting hugs tonight.
Chris hugs Clockwork, though carefully. He bruises a bit easier than, say, Kayle.
Clockwork hugs tightly, though not crushingly. He settles himself down after a few moments, and peers at the three. " I almost feel like... like I could deal with the frightening cheeriness of charm, now."
Kayle grins. "You certainly look the part."
Induction-Coil girns. "Nah, you look better than that.." he muses, then, sadly, yawns.
Chris says, "You're quite pretty, yeah. Though...I did like the lightning bolt a lot, too. "
Clockwork cocks his head slightly, peering down induction's mouth as the yawn stright..." I wonder... No, i don't, I don't want to try going back yet... I might not be able to change back and forth easily, and it would be, well, rather tiring to have to find Indi every time I wanted to look all sexy like this." He poses, too, showing off a bit.
Kayle says, "All that gold and gemstones take a lot of work, hm?"
Chris says, "I don't see why it would be difficult to change. But you never know until you try. "
Clockwork snorts softly at Chris's suggestion, and says to him. " You're a Player, though, to you it might just take a few taps on your Godpad." His tone is amiable, as if willing the friendly discussion, perhaps talking about the idea would make it easier later. To Kayle, he comments; " When I got this, firstly, along time ago, It had been worked on for nearly a life time... I mean. When I was turned on, I almost didn't need to have a spirit put into me, because being around the old man that made me, made /me/."
Induction-Coil smiles,and leans in, curious now. "DId you have a spirit, though, from elsewhere..? Or was this your first body, or.. what?" Clockwork shifts up to his hind feet, his tail arcing gracefully behind him, giving him balance. "I didn't... No, I did, but.. that was when Mortimer died. Mortimer worked on me for his entire life... I was to be his escape from death, but it didn't work... and he new it wasn't going to work, so he turned me on, but he promised me his... his soul, as material for my own, when he died. When he died, the True Dragons brought him to me, and... so yes, I had a spirit before I had a spirit, but this is what my first body looked like...
Induction-Coil nods, and listens, fascinated.. though tired too.
Clockwork Glances left, then right, then coyly says. " So where're the women kept at?"
Kayle chuckles. "There's always some availible in Bottom."
Chris says, "All over? "
Clockwork grunts softly, looking like the fox in the chicken coup.
Chris eyes Clockwork oddly. "You can...with that body....?"
Clockwork just grins at Chris. Just. Grins.
Chris tries to act casual. "Not that I'm...really surprised."
"Never underestimate the weird-factor here, Chris." Kayle winks to the human. "Lest I be forced to show off."
Chris rolls his eyes. "Um...point taken!"
Clockwork ahems, softly, and says after a moment. " Actually, before I needed a pair of double-a batteries. but I think... one hundred thousand volts is enough to power that bit of my anatomy..." And he waits to see Chris's reaction.
Chris laughs. "Still got that much energy bottled up inside eh?"
Kayle grins. "So whoever you get to first is gonna light up an' pay out in quarters?"
Clockwork grins mischieviously at Chris. " I feel myself, inside myself, only it's not myself, it's just a piece of me."
Chris says, "That sounds like song lyrics for some reason. "
Clockwork blinks at Kayle, and siddles over t'wards him slowly. " Wanna try it, big boy?" he jests.
Kayle laughs. "As tempting as the offer might be, I'll pass." He grins. "I'm sure you can find someone more than willing in Bottom, though."
Chris nudges Kayle gently with an elbow. "So you /were/ tempted?"
Clockwork glances sidelong at Crhis, and siddles over t'wards him now... "You mean, you're not?"
Kayle looks mortally offended, sir! "What gave you /that/ idea?" Chris smirks. "I didn't say that, entirely. But Kayle said the offer was 'tempting', which means he was tempted. "
Clockwork chuckles to himself, and drops to all fours. He scrambles for the mirror, " See you on the other side, and if I don't come back, it's because I've taken over bottomwarp for my harem."
Kayle almost /emits/ pure shock. "I was...you're..." His jaw goes slack and he gapes, managing to look quite offended...or is that embarassment?
Chris waves to Clockwork, grinning. "Have a shockingly good time!"
Clockwork calls back over his shoulder. " I'm sure I will."
Kayle continues looking offended/embarassed, with a hint more of confusion. If he was suddenly locked in place the statue could be called 'WTF'.