2. [Action], [BBS] (action open to 4th-wallers)

[rewritethis]

[At the library in the afternoon or evening, you might notice a large pile of books in the middle of an aisle, occasionally emitting small but conspicuous bursts of blueish light. Look a bit closer and you'll discover an actual (tiny, irritable) person in there - along with a half-disassembled silver-coloured pocketwatch and some other bits of metal, several of which are covered in circular scratchings. Though no visible tools, curiously enough.

Why would Ed suddenly have a pocketwatch when he neither arrived with one nor has the slightest clue where to buy them? Well, when a counterpart of you from another world refuses to let you run off with their belongings despite you being basically the same person, what else is there to do except make a cheap knockoff out of whatever knick-knacks you can steal from Engineering class find? Just one problem: the watch doesn't do what he originally wanted it for. It doesn't do anything. It doesn't even keep good time... which probably isn't important for his purposes, but what does he know? He's never needed to care about any damn alchemical amplifiers before now.

So, after a few days of messing around with it, an unsigned BBS post goes up:]

Who here knows how to make a watch? Mine doesn't work.

Comments

[BBS] unsigned

[bot_builder]

I do, it's pretty simple--but it wouldn't be free. What'll you trade for the labor?

BBS, unsigned

[rewritethis]

Don't need a new one. Just look at it, tell me what's wrong.

[Still, he does have sponsorship money lying around and not a whole lot of things to spend it on...] If you make it work, I could pay a little.

BBS, unsigned

[bot_builder]

[Jack considers. This feels a lot like doing someone a favor... but he could always use more money, no matter how little. He's working on a budget again.]

Alright, sounds good. Where should we meet up?

BBS, unsigned → Action!

[rewritethis]

Library. I'll be waiting!

[Specifically, waiting while buried under yet another stack of vaguely clock- or engineering-related books on the library floor. Actually, since he's been taking breaks to check on the computer, the stack isn't tall enough to block him from view. But it's getting there.]

Action

[bot_builder]

[He's about halfway to the library before he realizes that he has no idea who he was talking to. But... if he goes back and asks now, that'd make him look like he doesn't think this sort of thing through, and that's a concept he'd rather not get out. It's bad enough that everyone at home thinks he's a joke... Maybe broken-watch-dude-or-girl would stand out somehow. He knows this is unreasonable, but he proceeds to the library without checking back in anyway.]

[Once there, he looks around. After a little searching, he manages to find Ed's little book fort. And sees what the books are all on. And smiles.]

[He's just going to wait for Ed to turn around and notice him looming.]

[rewritethis]

[It takes a short while, but he does emerge, pocketwatch in hand.] What, am I in the way or something? Sorry, kind of busy right n-

[Recognition dawns.]

...Oh, don't tell me I was talking to you.

[bot_builder]

Ok, I won't. [Smiiiiirk.]

But I am the resident go-to guy for tech. Just saying.

[eiusumbra]

[Shadow notices the light as he ventures into the library for something to read. What could this strange light be? It isn't dark enough to need a flashlight, unless someone is taking pictures.

He investigates and finds a person with a watch. There is nothing to indicate where the light came from, though.]

What are you doing, besides blocking an aisle?

[rewritethis]

I'm working. [He waves the watch at the guy for emphasis; a loose part falls out.] Isn't that what libraries are for?

[eiusumbra]

Not this kind of work, usually. You'll have to take this to a table, at the least.

[This is Shadow being nice, instead of telling him to get out.]

[rewritethis]

[Well, this is Ed being... stubborn just for the sake of it, which is actually not noteworthy at all.] Nobody told me about any rule like that.

[eiusumbra]

It's common logic. [Shadow can be stubborn as well.]

[rewritethis]

Not really. And it's not like I'm disrupting anything. [- he says, sitting in the middle of the aisle.]

BBS;

[seethelanterns]

A watch?

- Rapunzel

BBS, unsigned

[rewritethis]

A pocketwatch. I made it and it doesn't do anything.

BBS, unsigned

[seethelanterns]

Hm. I've never had a pocketwatch so I don't know how much I would be able to help. Are they that different from a normal clock to tell the time? I'm sure someone would be able to help, though.

BBS, unsigned

[rewritethis]

Smaller and portable, sometimes with lids or chains. Or straps, but they're rare.

It's okay though, I wasn't looking for help from someone like you. [...He means that in a nice way since he recognises her name and all, but.]

BBS,

[seethelanterns]

Oh. I can see how that might be useful.

Maybe...someone who knows about gears? I know we had clocks back home but it might be a bit different with smaller ones. More fiddly. Maybe one of the teachers might be able to help you? It just needs to tell time, right?

- Rapunzel

BBS, unsigned

[rewritethis]

Telling time isn't the most important thing, I think. But I don't know because I've never made one before.

ACTION

[lowkeyinaminor]

[Having found himself inexplicably in a whole new world (don't you dare close your ey-... sorry) Loki did the only thing that any good trickster could: explore. This eventually led him to the library. This then led him to the conspicuous pile of books in the middle of an aisle which was flashing with small but conspicuous bursts of blueish light, which appeared to contain a person.

This could be a number of things, most of them interesting. So Loki did the only thing he could.]

Hello!

[rewritethis]

[The greeting from a total stranger startles Ed, but not enough to overcome his ground state of grumpiness. He looks up from the book he's currently holding.] Can I help you? [Extremely subtle insinuation: no he can't, go away.]

[lowkeyinaminor]

[The extremely subtle insinuation was very, well, subtle, but he caught it. However, as that would make things boring he chose to ignore it anyway, sitting down like he belonged there.] I highly doubt it, unless you know why people are apparently showing up here and how to leave. I saw your...ah, flashing.

[rewritethis]

Yeah, I wish I knew how to leave. Your guess is as good as mine.

...Flashing? [It takes him a second to realise what the stranger means and banish the other mental images.] Oh, right, my alchemy. Well, I'm kind of in the middle of something here, so how about leaving me to it? [More extremely subtle hints!]

[lowkeyinaminor]

I would have, but you piqued my attention. Alchemy? Surely you don't mean that mortal thing involving turning lead into gold and things along those lines... [And he picks up one of the books like he owns the place and idly leafs through it.]

[rewritethis]

Uh, it could be a "mortal" thing if you wanted to be pretentious, but I'd just call it a thing. I mean, gods don't do anything useful. No reason for alchemy to be an exception.

[Oh, and take a look, the stranger just stole a book. Never mind that Ed already skimmed through the book in question an hour ago and nothing in it stuck out as interesting, let alone relevant.] Hey, get your own! Didn't I say I was in the middle of something?