singillatim | (no subject)

This is his new favorite place and after a few days, Hilbert has decided he's going to live here. Medical supplies! An x-ray! Opiates! This is so much better and so much easier to deal with than whatever frontier medicine they had going on at Milton (especially with the frontier doctor that was running the place—Goodsir seems like a sensible man, but also one who doesn't know that you need to wash your hands.)

Granted, he can't do much with most of this equipment. And he certainly can't do anything close to what he was doing back home. But this is at least something. There's a surprising amount of activity in the hydrodam as Hilbert inventories the medical supplies and, when that is done, starts to work on cleaning out any debris, broken items, expired food from the canteen, or anything else that he deems as junk. He'd at least like to get the bunk room to be somewhat habitable.

It is a very tough job for a man that is still slightly out of shape. And there are definitely some moments where Hilbert is leaning against the wall of the dam, trying very hard to catch his breath.

Deeper in the mines, closer to the Milton entrance than the Lakeside one, leaning against one of the rock walls, is a very annoyed and very grubby Alexander Hilbert. He's completely out of his element—though he's taking the cold fairly well, the whole 'manual labor' and 'clambering over rocks' thing is more of an annoyance. When he spots someone, he'll look up to ask, in a very deep voice with a very aggressive Russian accent,

"You live in Milton, yes? I assume fog has cleared on your end?"

Suddenly, the reason for his lollygagging around the mine becomes very apparent: someone's waiting out the fog.

Lalo has spent most of his time in Milton. Traversing to Lakeside in the fog? No thanks! Especially not when the green shit started appearing. He's not an idiot.

But he had started to hide some of his things from Chloe at the dam, to make sure they didn't get stolen. And, after spending all that time getting the running water going, he hates the idea of just abandoning it. So eventually, full of trepidation, sometime towards the end of the month he makes the journey to Lakeside to check out his self-declared home away from home: the bunk area of the hydrodam.

Imagine Lalo's surprise when he enters the Hydrodam bunk area to find another person there. He senses Hilbert's presence before he arrives, or maybe he hears his breathing before he goes through the door into the room. There's a slight jolt when Lalo's eyes first meet Hilbert's, and thanks to Chloe, a second or two of tension -- 'What the hell are you doing in here? Are you here to steal my shit too?'

But the tension and the irritation fade quickly before Lalo can voice them out loud. His mind quickly takes in the other man catching his breath as he looks around the half-cleaned bunk and realizes what's going on. Lalo's face breaks into a wide grin.

"Hey-ey, you're cleaning up in here? Nice! It's about time somebody did."

He recognizes Hilbert from the town meeting, but he doesn't actually know the guy. He basically acts like he does though, because Lalo acts like he knows everybody. In Lalo's mind, strangers are just new friends you haven't met yet. He invites himself into the room and beelines for the bunk, curious to see what if any of the things he's hidden there remain.

Normally, Hilbert is a grump. His default mood is irritated, he views everybody with a slightly sarcastic tune, he's grumpy and an asshole and just generally a testy little shit. However? Here? His excitement is palpable—or at least as palpable as a grump could be.

"Have you seen medical facilities at this place?" he asks, with a little nod. "Absolutely fascinating. It is a pity electronic equipment does not work normally, would love to use machines and examine those who have been changed by aurora."

When Bigby heard a sound coming from deeper down in the mines while he passed by, he assumed it was either one of two things - either someone who stupidly got themselves in trouble, or an animal that got itself stuck down there. The latter would still mean an easy dinner, so-- hey, either you help someone or you eat well. Bigby will take either.

It means he doesn't exactly expect someone to be down there, yet look like they're not exactly in direct trouble. Hilbert doesn't look like he's doing fine, obviously, but he also doesn't look like he fell down there and broke a leg badly enough that he can't get back up or something.

Hence why Bigby looks a little surprised, until Hilbert speaks up with that.

At least it explains something.

"You're hiding in here from the fog?"

The toxic part of it must at least have cleared up enough, yes, because Bigby doesn't look like he just inhaled some of that. He seems fine.

"Why were you out near the mines in the first place?" Especially in this weather? Hilbert?? At least Bigby has the excuse of hunting, but Hilbert doesn't exactly look to him like he was in the middle of a hunt.

"I have spent majority of the month in Lakeside," Hilbert explains. Now that Bigby is here and has confirmed that the fog isn't there, don't mind him as he leaves the mine, perfectly happy to leave all of this behind. He's talking casually, like this is a completely normal conversation and not, objectively, kind of weird.

"But I wanted to stay in Milton for some time in later half of month. I am curious about patterns of new arrivals. Wanted to see if there even is pattern to begin with. As it seems all arrived closer to Milton than Lakeside, perfect place to study and observe."

Because obviously this whole mess is just one giant scientific experiment that Hilbert can piece out.

Ruby had made a solid decision that she was going to stay over in Lakeside herself. Her interest wasn't really in the Hydrodam though, she had instantly fallen in love with the scrapyard when she had found it. But that didn't stop her from snooping around just about every where that she could at the moment.

Which is what brought her to the dam today, and she feels a little grin on her face as she comes across Hilbert trying to catch his breath. A slight limp in her step from the wound she had obtained the month before.

"You going to be okay there, pal? Do you need a drink of water or something?"

"Perfectly fine," Hilbert says as he tries to catch his breath. "Simply ill-used to...to this much physical labor."

It's very easy to move things in space. There's no gravity! Resistance training can only do so much! And Hilbert was never the sort to spend his free time working out anyway! So man, having to move various boxes, debris, etc. is tiring him out more than he'll admit.

Might as well let Ruby talk for a bit.

"How is scrapyard doing? Have you found anything of interest?"

.. god, what a nerd.

Maybe Bigby doesn't think of it exactly in those words, given that nerd isn't exactly a term in use among a community of fairytale creatures, but rest assured - whatever he's thinking, it's definitely his own world's equivalent of that. Because there's no other conclusion to be drawn at what Hilbert is saying. Trying to figure out patterns. Talking about studying. There's no way that'd register in any other sort of fashion with a guy who doesn't even read.

"Okay." Maybe it's why he doesn't fully sound convinced when he says that word first, getting out of the way so Hilbert can properly get out of there.

In fact, Bigby both sounds and looks sceptical as he adds: "You think you can figure anything out?"

Granted, he isn't full enough of himself to think that if he couldn't figure it out after all this time, no one could, but.. stuff here often seems so random. Bigby isn't really sure there's much to figure out at all.

Ruby's grin grows a size or two as he says that. "Focus on your breathing first. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It'll help." Look. Ruby wasn't a scientist, but she did a know a thing or two about building up cardio.

She gives a more thoughtful look when he brings up the scrap yard and she gives a nod.

"Pretty sure I can get the forge up and running so long as I get enough fuel for it. We've got some of what I've been informed is gunpowder and expired gasoline. So if we need to blow something up or set it on fire we've got that."

"If you call that living."

Uzi didn't happen across the mines because she thought someone else might be occupying it. She had just strayed a bit too far from her base in Milton and had to find somewhere to escape the fog.

She's a sore thumb at the best of times, being a robotic teenager, but this mine wasn't doing her any favors. Her violet, pixelated eyes blinked at him through the dim light.

"I'm guessing you're from that... lake-place."

Hilbert is very much a nerd. Hang around with him long enough and that becomes obvious as hell.

"I have no idea if I can figure anything out," Hilbert says, with a little scoff, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "But certainly will not figure anything out if I do not try. As far as I am concerned, might as well give it shot and see what happens."

Because that's what matters most: trying. Trying to figure something out, working with the data, trying to see if he can learn anything about this place to better their circumstances even a little bit.

"What fuel do you need? Doubt I can synthesize anything soon, certainly not until Aurora comes, but there is hydrodam. Easy enough to explore and see if it has anything of use fuel-wise."

Because as far as he's concerned, getting the forge up and running is a fantastic idea. And Ruby certainly seems capable enough to be able to do so.

Hilbert comes from a world of massive space stations run by advanced AI units. Of cybernetics so good that they've replaced human limbs, of aliens that can send messages through galaxies themselves. All of this is to say that a robotic teenager isn't too out of the ordinary. And yet, he's still looking at Uzi with interest, giving her the sort of look that someone would give something interesting under a microscope.

A part of him wants to take her apart just to see how she works. He keeps that part under wraps for now.

Instead, he gives Uzi a little nod before continuing with, "Amenities in Lakeside are more advanced than those in Milton. Besides, more space out there. Still, I find it useful to return to town every now and then for certain reasons."

"Might've been better if you chose a different time for it. It isn't exactly the best time to wander around the place."

.. says the guy who's also definitely out of town right now.

But Bigby has an excuse, okay!

"It isn't just the fog. Dunno if you've noticed, but there's big cats around now. You want to carry something with you to deal with those if you run into one of them, trust me."

"Will keep it under advisement," Hilbert muses. There's a moment before he points out, "What would you suggest I use to deal with them? It is not like guns are easy to come by."

Crozier doesn't spend much time in Lakeside, but he does occasionally make the odd trip past the entrance of the mine to check on the state of things and clear up any debris that might have been blown in by the wind.

...which is what he would tell anyone who asked about what he was doing hanging about the mines but not actually going inside. The truth is far more embarrassing, in that he just wants to be sure whoever's coming through is met with a friendly face. He worries for a lot of the people who'd gone over to lakeside.

When green fog of the Darkwalker catches him off guard one day (presumptiously), he darts into the mouth of the mines to wait for it to pass. It clears after a while, Crozier keeping himself entertained by looking at interesting rocks, and he starts for the snow only to hear footsteps behind him.

"I think coal, and charcoal are going to be our best bet. Which thankfully there's some there, and we can make more charcoal pretty easily with the amount of trees out here." They at least had some options here. She didn't know much about the other kind of fuels this place used.

"But if there is anything that can be used around here. I'd be down to borrow some."

It's refreshing to see someone close to his age. He tolerates the people here but Hilbert can't deny, the vast majority of them seem to be under twenty-five years old (and sometimes, you just don't want to deal with someone in their twenties having big feelings).

When he spots Crozier, he gives him a little nod. He hadn't seen the man en route from Lakeside—perhaps he lives in Milton? Though if he does, that makes Hilbert wonder about something,

"I assume fog is still going in Milton?"

"I have not fully explored hydrodam," he muses, "but surely there must be something to serve as back-up power. Generator or something like that. Simply have to find it."

And that's the question, isn't it. Where is it and how can he find it.

Hilbert, buddy, why do you think he lived in an ice hut for so long?

"It was clear when I was headed this way, but it rolled in behind me." Goddamned fog. Goddamned Darkwalker and its goddamn poisoned breath. He sighs and gives a bit of a cursory nod in response.

"Off and on. You're living in Lakeside, mn? I assume it's the same there?"

Edited 2024-04-28 00:22 (UTC)

Hilbert makes a small noise of approval. "It is. Came to Milton because there is hypothesis I wanted to test."

There's a pause before he grumbles, "Part of hypothesis has already been proven. Whatever changes happen, they seem to happen to both towns."

Which is very annoying.

"Long way to trek to gather data." Not that he wouldn't have done the same himself if he was out to prove a point.

"You mentioned only part of the hypothesis had been proven. What's the other half? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well if you need a hand with that. I'll do what I can. I'm not exactly an expert on how things work around here, but I can at least tell when something looks important." At least she's honest about it? She's out of her depth in some areas but she's willing to try.

Yeah, the easiest solution definitely is 'go and borrow a shotgun from someone who has one', but Bigby does figure that anyone who managed to get their hands on one is not likely to want to let others borrow it, even if it's for a good cause. Especially with the limited ammo here.

"Well.." For a moment the guy's voice trails off.

Mostly because he's trying to think of what the likely answer is to this question, and given that Hilbert seems like a huge nerd, it's likely a negative one. But Bigby will be fair and actually ask, rather than assume. He can learn!

"Have you ever fought anything before?"

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hydrodam, ota

mines, ota

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mines - post fog

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