Document 1278803-4576b

-Keypad initiated-

Entry 2--

"So, how does this thing work?" Thaal asked me, fiddling with a small gauntlet.

"Don't put it on," I told him distractedly, still unpacking my bag. I tugged a few wiring tools and components out-- one of them had snagged the inside of the bag.

"Why not?" Thaal asked.

"Do you want the room with the closet or the chest of drawers?" Arno asked me. "And did you pack any clothes at all?"

"Yes, mother," I replied, "I packed clothes. And underwear, and socks."

"What about deodorant?" Thaal asked me, trying to fit the gauntlet on his wrist.

"Didn't Brain-- Vril-- say not to put that on?" Arno asked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"I packed all the necessities," I told Thaal. "And I would recommend you refrain from tampering with that invention. I cannot guarantee your safety."

He eyed the gauntlet with interest. It was made of flexible material, reinforced with strong ribbing. Small nodes stuck out along the edges. "It doesn't look dangerous."

I sighed. "Shouldn't you unpack?"

"Arno's doing that," Thaal said dismissively, trying to fit the gauntlet past his hand.

"Yes, because someone has to be responsible," Arno grumbled, hefting Thaal's bag onto a bed in the next room. "What did you put in here, Thaal? Rocks?"

"No," Thaal said, tugging uselessly on the gauntlet. I pulled a few more bits and pieces of equipment from my bag.

"Did you even bother folding your clothes?" Arno demanded, lumping clothes out of Thaal's bag with an irritated look.

"They weren't clean," Thaal said, trying to put the gauntlet on the other wrist, "so what was the point in folding them?"

"YOU PACKED DIRTY CLOTHES?!" Arno demanded, dropping the clothes as though they'd burned him.

"Yeah, so?" Thaal asked, momentarily forgetting the gauntlet.

"What are you going to wear?" Arno demanded.

"Um, what I packed, duh," Thaal said, sliding half of the gauntlet over his left hand.

"Before or after you wash them?" Arno demanded.

"Whichever," Thaal said dismissively.

"Not whichever," Arno replied. "I'm calling room service right now! They have got to have something to wash clothes…"

"Try through those doors," I pointed, where I'd caught sight of a washing appliance of some sort.

Arno gathered up all of Thaal's clothes and staggered towards the doorway, muttering under his breath, his voice muffled by the giant pile.

"I can't hear you," Thaal sniggered at Arno. A moment later, I heard a quiet "zzzzzt" sound. "Yeow!!" Thaal screeched, throwing the gauntlet to the floor. His hand was twitching convulsively. "What did you do to that thing?!"

"It is supposed to stimulate and augment myofibrils via small electronic pulses, amplifying signals from the nervous system and…"

Thaal's face was blank. "I think I lost you at 'stimulate and augment'," he informed me.

I sighed, pulling the last of the components from my bag.

"Thaal!" Arno yelled from the wash room, "When was the last time you cleaned these things?"

Thaal thought hard for a moment. "Not sure!" he shouted back.

Arno grumbled some more, and soon the machine started up. He returned to the room. "Please tell me you packed clean clothes," he said to me.

I blinked. "Obviously."

"I'm hungry," Thaal said, massaging his hand. "Is anyone else hungry?"

"I'll go find something," Arno said. "Here, Brainy-- Vril-- um, yeah, here."

He shoved a small canister of something in my hands. "Put this on your nose to cover up the green spot. I'll be back."

"When does Brainy-- Vril-- get his eyebrows back?" Thaal asked Arno.

"Sometime after I come back with food," Arno replied. "Thaal, don't break anything while I'm gone."

"Don't worry," I told Arno, "I'll look after him."

Thaal glared at me. "Hey. I'm doing you a huge favor by coming. The least you could do is show some gratitude."

"You're here during a school break," I replied.

"Exactly! I'm spending my vacation with you, instead of my girlfriend!"

I glanced at Thaal. "What girlfriend?"

"Well, if I wasn't covering for you, maybe I would have a girlfriend," Thaal retorted.

"Good luck finding a girl who could stand you, Mister dirty clothes," I replied blandly, unpacking my clothes.

"Oh, whatever," Thaal grumbled. "Hey Arno? Can I come with you? I'm starving!"

Arno sighed, glancing in my direction and rolling his eyes. "Sure," he agreed after a moment.

"Great. That'll give Brain —Vril— time to update his Journal," Thaal said, smirking at me.

I scowled. "It's not—never mind."

"Bye BVril," Thaal said. "Maybe we'll bring back something for you."

Arno gave Thaal a look of consternation. "The whole point of going out was to bring back—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Thaal said dismissively, waving a hand and throwing open the door. "See you, Bvril."

Arno followed Thaal out, and I was left with my thoughts…

A/N: Well. That chapter really wasn't as hard to finish as I thought it was. Now I just have to write another, somewhere in between Macroeconomics homework and Japanese speaking tests...

Sorry for the long wait, and if you're still alive by the time I next update, stay tuned!