Another Path Part 23 : That learned about robots
A bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to stop there, before the next character was introduced. Don't hesitate to comment and/or try guessing which character will appear after the next one (since the actual next one will be pretty obvious, or else I am failing at something horribly).
After dealing with Varia's special brand of insanity for several months, all of Caeruleus agreed that a break was not only earned, but needed. So when Shoichi heard of a large science convention open to all in a nearby town, he didn't hesitate to ask his comrades if they wanted to accompany him.
Truth be told, most of them were not all that keen on science. Hayato had a scholarly side under all his brashness and Byakuran was a font of weird scraps of knowledge, but all the others were either uninterested or a downright hazard in a lab.
But it was a good excuse to go out in a peaceful environment. Scientists tended to be the quiet type, not the violent, bloodthirsty type they had been surrounded with in the Varia mansion. So what could go wrong?
In hindsight, Tsuna realized he should have expected everything that happened. When had life gone according to plan when he wanted some peace and quiet before?
In the end, Shoichi dragged Tsuna along, and invited Hayato and Byakuran to the convention. Technology was still a sensitive subject for Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro, and they wanted no reminder of their time with the Estraneo. Kyoya had shot down the invitation with a grunt as soon as it had been offered and both Lambo and I-pin were not interested and a bit too young to attend. The four who were going were already borderline, with the youngest -Tsuna- only having recently celebrated his 12th birthday.
The bus trip to the convention went without a hitch. Byakuran was taking too much enjoyment from aggravating Hayato's volatile mood, but the silveret managed to contain his temper. He only threatened to blow the older teen up three times, kept his swears and insults low enough not to be overheard and didn't even pull out the explosives he was sure to have hidden on his person. Tsuna was unduly proud.
The convention itself was not what he had expected. Since it was open to anyone, he had not thought it would be so high-tech and elitist. The fours teens were surrounded by adults, most of them professional scientists. There were a few strollers like them, but they were clearly not in their environment and they gazed upon the inventions and technology with the same confused awe and lack of understanding as Tsuna.
Shoichi looked like he had died and ascended to geek heaven.
It took the combined persuasive force of Tsuna, Hayato and Byakuran to drag the Sun towards the information point rather than rush straight to the displays. The convention was very large, with many stands, even more expositions and several conferences. They would need the leaflets to know the exact schedule and not miss any of the main events Shoichi had wanted to see.
If the redhead's enthusiasm had dwindled slightly at hearing that he couldn't attend all the happenings because some took place at the same time, it skyrocketed when he read through the list of lecturers.
"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" He squealed. Tsuna was vividly reminded of rabid fangirls he had seen on TV. It was a weird thought. "Verde is here!"
Byakuran raised an eyebrow his face contorting into an indecipherable expression, before excusing himself and disappearing into the crowd. He was bent in half, like he had an especially virulent stomachache, but Tsuna got the distinct impression he was actually bent with laughter. Hayato looked thunderstruck, but he quickly reached to the nearby stands to take his own leaflet. When he looked back up, the silveret looked very much like an excited puppy. You could almost see a tail wagging behind him.
"Who is this 'Verde', exactly?" Asked the brunet. The man had to be very impressive for the two science geeks to react like that.
"He's the greatest scientist of this era." Supplied Shoichi with stars in his eyes. "Some people say he's the new da Vinci. But he's extremely secretive. He hardly ever leaves his labs and just reveals his inventions and discoveries without showing himself. Verde almost never attends conventions and the like, but he's going to give a lecture about alternative energy sources this afternoon! How lucky! We have to see it!" He declared, and Hayato was nodding emphatically besides him.
"Sure." Agreed Tsuna. "I only came here because you asked, it's not like there's anything I planned on seeing anyway." He pointedly ignored the almost hysteric cries of happiness from his two friends.
This Verde's lecture only started at 4pm, and it was currently 9am. They had arrived early to spend as much time as possible at the convention. They figured that they would spend the rest of the morning looking at the stands and whatever else caught their eye, eat lunch around midday and then wait in front of the conference room an hour before the lecture started. Tsuna would have thought it to be too much, but both Hayato and Shoichi feared that there would be a line to attend the conference and neither wanted to risk missing it because there was no more space available. Unfortunately, the Sky's Intuition agreed with them.
The morning was pleasant, he supposed. Tsuna was not particularly interested in any of the displays. Byakuran had not yet made a reappearance, but nobody was worried about him; the older teen could make his way out of any trouble without their input.
Hayato and Shoichi were elated. They stopped at any stand that looked promising, and asked questions or clarifications to the scientists in charge. Said researchers were usually a bit dismissive or guarded around the children, but the two teenagers' enthusiasm, knowledge and quick mind won them over every time. It seemed all the people gathered here were impassioned by their work, so the two brains of Caeruleus blended in effortlessly. Tsuna was content to stay back and watch his friends enjoy themselves.
But such peace could not be expected to last very long in the Sky's life. The three teens were looking at one more innovative device -something about atoms and splitting matter, he had not bothered trying to understand further when the man in charge spoke more words he didn't know than ones he did, pronouns included- when they registered a commotion nearby.
Before they could understand what this was about, they saw a figure about their size dart through the crowd and attempt to lose the four vigils that were running after it. They were about to dismiss the event completely as something that did not concern them when Tsuna's meddlesome Intuition rang in his head.
The poor teen tried to shake it off, but the feeling that he had to get involved only increased further. "Uhm, guys." He began tentatively, not wanting to pull his friends out of their technology trance, but knowing better than to follow his Intuition alone towards an unknown situation in such a crowd. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but I have this really strong feeling that we should go see what this was all about." He stated, hoping they took the hint.
Luckily they did, and apologized to the nice scientist for leaving him mid-explanation. Hayato looked ready to follow his Boss wherever he led, but Shoichi seemed more reluctant. Tsuna felt a pang of remorse, but the ringing in his head left him no time to wallow in his guilt. They had to go.
They were long accustomed to making their way through crowds of adults, and managed to slip through the throngs of people towards the area his Intuition guided him. There were even more people gathered there, like onlookers watching something unusual taking place in the middle of the way.
Tsuna gently pushed his way to the front (being small had its advantages, since most adults didn't mind him because they could easily keep staring over his head) and took the scene in.
The four vigils from earlier had apparently managed to corner the runaway figure, which was a boy around their age with blond hair arranged in a swirl and munching on a lollipop. Said boy didn't look all that worried at being surrounded, in fact he only seemed to be mildly annoyed at the men.
But the sight that had Tsuna groan in despair was the white-haired teen by his side with a shit-eating grin.
Of course Byakuran had to get involved with whatever commotion happened near him.
From what the crowd around him was muttering, Tsuna understood that the blond boy had entered the convention without paying for a ticket. The Sky didn't blame him, the entry fee had been inordinate, and they had only managed to pay without ruining themselves for four tickets because of the hefty bonus Varia had given them for a job well done -and to motivate them to work for them again, when new rooms will undoubtedly be wrecked in the near future. Given that this was an advanced convention, clearly meant for the elite -for all that it was open to all- and that famous figures such as this Verde were in attendance, Tsuna supposed that the price was somewhat justified, but it was still too much to expect children their age to be able to pay.
"It's all fine if I pay for him, right?" Asked Byakuran in a way that clearly conveyed that this was not an actual question. "It's fine, here." He pulled money from his wallet (which held his own money earned from outside of Caeruleus) and waived the correct amount of bills. "Take it. Now you can leave us alone and everybody can go back to enjoying this wonderful convention."
The vigil to whom he forcibly gave the money looked bewildered for a moment. But then, if the fee was paid for the blond boy's entry, there was no longer a reason to chase and arrest him, and a lot of paperwork could be avoided. Eventually, he shrugged, pocketed the bills, handed an extra ticket to Byakuran and told his colleagues to return to their positions. The crowd of onlookers quickly started to disperse once there was nothing interesting to watch anymore.
The blond didn't even look bothered by the whole situation. "Thanks." He said airily to Byakuran when he gave him the ticket. "That was annoying. All I did was enter the convention, it's not like I stole anything." He drawled, then he pulled something from his bag. "Lollipop?" He offered.
The white-haired teen was never one to refuse sweets. "Thank you." He said and started eating the candy. "I'm Byakuran, and these three" He pointed at Tsuna, Shoichi and Hayato, who had remained at a distance from them. "are my friends and co-workers, Tsunayoshi, Shoichi and Hayato. Who are you?" He asked, but Tsuna's Intuition told him that he already knew the answer, which was strange, because the blond obviously had never seen the teen before.
"Spanner." He replied, forgoing the surname like Byakuran had. He eyed them speculatively. "Are you all Japanese? You have Japanese names."
"Ah, somewhat. Tsuna and Shoichi were born and raised in Japan before they moved in Italy. I was born there too but was adopted by Italians early on, and Hayato has never set foot oversees, but his mother was half Japanese and she gave him his name. Why is that?"
Spanner's face still looked as bored as before, but there was a glint in his eyes. "Japan is the land of manga and robots. Have you ever seen robots from up close?" He asked, leaning forward in his excitement.
Tsuna shared a glance with Hayato and Shoichi, seeing the same bewilderment reflected in their faces. "Huh, no, not robots exactly. But Shoichi here has created some pretty impressive devices." He stumbles, a bit guilty at throwing the Sun under the train like that, but needing to redirect the hungry stare towards someone else. Plus, the redhead was likely the most qualified of them to talk abouts robots anyway.
The inventor glared at him indignantly, but didn't have the time to do much more as Spanner started assaulting him with technical questions about what Tsuna assumed to be robots that went way over his head. Thankfully, after some spluttering in the face of a stranger, Shoichi slowly started to answer eagerly, having found a like-minded soul about science. The brunet felt a bit better seeing his shy friend conversing freely about resilience/weight ratio enthusiastically, Byakuran and Hayato adding their own thoughts from time to time.
They resumed touring the convention, this time with Byakuran and Spanner in tow. The blond's presence earned them a few cautious glances, but nothing really happened.
They decided to eat outside after a glance at the prices in the cafeteria. Not only was the entry fee for the convention ridiculous, but even the food on the spot was outrageously overpriced. The pizzeria a few streets down was good and, more importantly, affordable.
Their tickets allowed them to return inside without a hitch, although the vigils posted at the entranced eyed them, and Spanner especially, warily.
Like they had planned, they camped in front of the main conference room and waited there for Verde's lecture about alternative energy sources. There were already a number of people queuing to grab the best seats for the two-hour long lecture.
This left them some time for socializing with Spanner. So far, they -meaning everyone but Tsuna- had only talked about science and robots. "So, Spanner," started Byakuran. "Did you come here with anyone? Your parents perhaps?" Again, the younger Sky had the persistent impression that the oldest teen already knew the answer, and it unnerved him, but the change of topic from complicated top-of-the-line technology to family and everyday life meant that he could finally take part in the conversation, so he said nothing. He didn't mind waiting at the sides when his friends geeked over some device or another, but it was nice to be included in the talks after a while.
"Huh? Oh, no, they are both back in England somewhere, doing their own thing. I came here on my own, but I didn't expect the ticket to cost so much and I didn't take enough with me. But a source stated that Verde would attend; it didn't seem all that trustworthy, but I figured it was worth giving it a chance and turns out he was right. Except it's even better and instead of just being here, he's actually giving a lecture." He smiled over his lollipop, but for the so-far rather inexpressive blond, it was a beaming grin.
"I have to say, you speak very good Italian, Spanner. But won't your parents worry, though? Do they know where you went?" Inquired Shoichi.
"I left them a note." Shrugged the blond without a care. "They won't mind, we're not really close. We usually all do our own thing in our corner anyway. And one of my nannies taught me Italian. I wanted to learn because a lot of the greatest scientists these days come from Italy. It's better to read their works and publication in the original language than rely on translations."
"How will you return to England after the convention?" Asked Tsuna. "I hope you already bought you ticket back, because if you didn't have enough money to pay for the entry fee here, you probably won't for the trip by plane either."
"I'll manage." Replied Spanner without a concern. "I had to pay for the shipment of my Mosca here, so I'm a bit broke at the moment, but I'll figure things as they come." Wow, Tsuna didn't remember meeting such a lackadaisical individual ever before. Byakuran and Kyoya were laid back, true, but not this unworried about the near future as their new acquaintance.
"Your Mosca?" Repeated Hayato with a puzzled tilt of his head. Sometimes Tsuna thought the boy was way too poppy-like in his gestures and his behavior. It made ignoring the imaginary dog ears and wagging tail all the more difficult.
"The robot I built. I used scrap pieces from various devices around the house, so it could use some perfecting, but so far it can walk on its own, identify the people in front of him if they are entered in its database, pick up small objects and fire laser beams and lead rounds at will."
Tsuna wanted to bash his head on the closest wall, and he saw from Hayato and Shoichi's mildly horrified expressions that they felt the same. Byakuran was just insane and was chuckling creepily while sucking on the raspberry flavored lollipop Spanner had offered him minutes ago.
Why had he ever entertained the notion that anyone he met and talked with could be normal again? Spanner had looked sane enough so far, apathetic behavior, breaking in and excessive passion for robots aside- yeah, OK, maybe there were some signs, but Tsuna would very much like to hope he could meet someone whose first reflex was not to build/throw/wield/fire/threaten with weapons. Was that too much to ask for?
He must have spent too long being the straight man to his friends' brand of madness, because the next sentence left his mouth without his input. Apparently, picking up on the quirks and insanity of his acquaintances -even if only in his head- had become so common that it had become an automatism. "You built weapons on your robot." It was not even a question which went a long way to show how much he was in despair and how sadly used he was to rampant craziness.
"Yep." Drawled Spanned excitedly. "Armament is a fascinating topic, and what is the point of a robot if it can't kick ass?" Hayato was nodding thoughtfully besides him. Oh, God, no, please don't let Spanner give any ideas to the already explosive silveret. "I actually want to add more weapons on my Mosca, and build more than one. Maybe I'll build one for each type of weaponry. But no matter what they all will have at least some features in common anyway. Like propellers so they can fly and track their target until it is destroyed, and at least one machine gun and one small missile launcher. Those are basics, really." He tilted his head with a sigh. "It's too bad I don't have the necessary materials yet. My only Mosca for now was made with pieces I scavenged from devices all around the house and pieces I picked up at the closest dump. I can't work properly and build the best Moscas I can with subpar materials, and even if I have enough money, some parts are heavily regulated and only sold to the military..." He looked really downtrodden by the thought that he didn't have whet he needed to build weapons of mass destruction thought Tsuna. He didn't know if he should sympathize, be glad or cry.
Probably a mix of all that actually...
But the conversation had kept going while Tsuna was despairing over his existence, and by the time the brunet managed to get out of his dark mood, Spanner, Shoichi, Hayato and Byakuran were already debating over the specs and the design of an army of death robots armed to the teeth with top-of-the-line weapons.
"So," The Sky started to say, louder than needed, but he couldn't in good conscience let his friends and new acquaintance plan the robot apocalypse from Terminator without at least trying to divert their attention. Luckily, the four geeks interrupted their mad scientist talk to listen to him. Unfortunately, Tsuna had not really planned further than that and scrambled to find a valid question. "Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?" He ended up asking.
Damn! He had felt his Intuition intervening there. He had wanted to ask if it was the blond's first time out of his birth-country, but the little alien in his head had seized the commands and spouted its own question. The thing was only growing more imperious over the years. It had been more subdued back in Namimori. Meeting Hayato and returning to save him had been the first time it had given what had felt like an order; before that it had only been strong suggestions.
He had dismissed it a the time, thinking it had been a fluke, but his Intuition had acted up again when facing off against Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, and he been even worse against the Vindice. The whole debacle at the Varia mansion had been the same, and Tsuna had figured that his Intuition only ever forced him to act in life-threatening situations, and settled for suggestions and advice in any other circumstances.
But that was clearly not the case. Spanner was not at any real risk that he knew of, and his Intuition didn't give off the feeling of impending danger. Yet for the first time, it had forcefully made Tsuna do something he had not intended to, even if only in the form of switching a question for another. If the brunet and his friends had not been saved multiple times by the alien in his head, and if he had not felt the intrinsic certitude that it was a part of him and would never truly act against him and those he held dear, he would have been seriously freaked out.
Or rather, he would have been seriously scared; as it was, he was freaked out, but not really frightened. Probably because his Intuition was whispering to him that there was nothing to be afraid of, which was a conundrum, but he didn't have the will to think about it anymore.
"Ah, no." Deadpanned Spanner. "I was thinking that I would find a corner to sleep for tonight and try to figure something out afterwards. I don't mind sleeping on the streets : it's warmer here than in Britain, and if anything happens, I'll have my Mosca to protect me. I left it in its transportation box in a deserted alley a few streets over, and it is programmed to issue threats if anyone gets too close, followed by warning shots and actual shooting if someone other than me still tries to take it away."
There was so much wrong with that statement that Tsuna didn't even want to deal with it. So he didn't. However, he did catch Shoichi and Byakuran -two schemers, even if the redhead didn't openly admit it- sharing a meaningful glance before turning to him and making puppy dog eyes. They were not as practiced as Hayato's, but Tsuna had never been good at saying no to his friends (unless they wanted something truly ridiculous, and even then, he often folded).
Curse his bleeding heart and his manipulative friends!
"Fine." He huffed at Byakuran and Shoichi. The Sun gave him a grateful, if slightly rueful smile, but the older teen only looked smug. Hayato was looking back and forth at all three of them curiously since he had missed the byplay. "Hey, Spanner?" He looked at the blond. "We have a house not very far from here by bus and there are several free rooms. You can crash there until you find a way back home if you want. You can even bring your robot, since I don't think it's very safe to keep it in a street." For the robot, and for any unlucky passerby, but Tsuna was not about to explain that. He knew enough weirdos and eccentrics to know that Spanner would likely not understand why what he had done was actually dangerous.
Spanner's eyes lit up. "Really? Then I'll take your offer. Thank you, Tsunayoshi. Maybe you guys could even show me the labs you spoke about earlier."
Oh, Tsuna could already imagine the chaos that would arise if one more mad scientist entered their labs, especially since Spanner didn't know about Flames and most experiments revolved around those. But before he could try to kindly object, the door to the conference room opened and a mad rush to the seats started.
While they had been talking, more people had gathered in front of the room where Verde would give his lecture without them noticing. Thankfully, they had been at the front of the queue, and they all managed to find a seat near each other in one of the first rows. If they had been any farther the waiting line, they would have likely been pushed around by the frantic adults, and, being much smaller, they would probably never have found available seats.
Tsuna would have to wait for the end of the lecture to decline Spanner's visit of the labs. For now, he was preparing himself for two hours of scientific gibberish he could not understand in a hundred years while his friends ascended to geek heaven. But he was fine as long as they were happy, and they were obviously elated to attend this mysterious Verde's conference, so the Sky would make do.
No point this time for figuring out who the next character to be introduced will be ;) but you can try guessing who the one after than is.