"Is... Is that running? Oh, shit, it is running, uhhhh..."
[LYRA DOYLE – PREGAME START!]
Lyra took a step back from their phone, tilting their head as they looked into the camera, before strolling towards the object that the phone was facing; a park bench with a radio transmitter sitting merrily on top of it. They turned to the camera with a big grin on their face, balled their hands up, and put their fists on their hips, and instantly felt self-conscious about it. Was this how normal humans stood? Normal, actual, definitely-not-aliens-from-Jupiter humans? Oh well, they were gonna move out of shot in a second, so switching between a billion different positions now would just be weird.
"Okay, so, um, this is gonna be the first driving test foooooooooor..."
They went to grab the remote control, missed, swore, and picked it up on the second attempt, revealing the tiny machine resting behind it.
"-Chiron! Whoo!"
Sure, they could have done this at home, on their desk, where they wouldn't have had to carefully transport their fragile robot and expensive transmitter all the way out to the park. Sure, maybe, maybe that'd have been the so-called sensible thing to do. But did their room have the backdrop of a motherfucking mountain in it? No, no it did not. If they were gonna get footage of their robot out there, they wanted it to look super badass.
Man, they hoped they'd kept the seesaw out of the shot, cause that'd distinctly lower the 'badass' factor.
"Alright, so, uh, on three!"
Lyra stepped backwards, desperately praying they wereout of shot now, and fixed their gaze on Chiron. Their pride and joy. The result of years, now, of hard work. And here it was! A tiny little fighting machine, ready to scrap with other antweights in the arena and emerge victorious!
Almost!
The front half of it was still totally exposed, and there were wires and speed controllers visible, and they still hadn't managed to fix a weapon on to it. But! It had wheels. And that, honestly, was a big step-up from a few months ago. It meant they were ready to properly start testing it. And here they were!
Oh, fuck, they still hadn't started the countdown.
"One!"
Lyra gripped the transmitter tightly.
"Two!"
They bit their lip and winced as they accidentally bit off a scrap of skin.
"Three!"
They held their breath and pressed their thumb against the stick that would move Chiron forwards.
Chiron sat perfectly still.
Lyra frowned and pushed the stick forwards again. Nothing, again. Not even a twitch.
"Uh, hang on..."
Lyra felt a dull sinking feeling in their chest as they desperately jammed their thumb against the stick, a feeling which nearly immediately did a 180 and flew right back up again as Chiron's wheels started spinning and it began to amble forwards.
"There we go, see, it's-"
Then Chiron's right wheel fell off, and Lyra's heart fell with it, right down to the bottom of their Heelys. They slid their thumb off of the transmitter, stopping Chiron in its tracks just as it was attempting some sweet high-speed doughnuts, before stepping back towards the bench, arms hanging loose by their side. They looked down forlornly at their amputated robot.
"Penis."
The Glorious Evolution
Open!~~
The Glorious Evolution
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
"Penis?"
((Guillermo "Billy" Trevino: Pregame Start))
It was a beautiful, if chilly, Sunday afternoon. Billy had an essay due the next day on World War I and he hadn't typed a single word yet. So naturally, Billy was spending his afternoon skateboarding in the park. It was best for him to clear his mind before sitting down to vomit out an essay, right? Otherwise he'd just be antsy and get distracted the whole time. Besides, if he didn't finish it today he could just hand it in on Tuesday with a few points taken off. Old McClellan wouldn't give a shit either way.
Billy slowed to a stop and picked up his board when he saw Lyra. She was playing with some half-finished robot, and it clearly wasn't going very well. Billy vaguely recalled that Lyra was involved with the robotics Club at school. That sort of stuff always seemed really cool to Billy but he doubted that he'd be able to get involved with it himself. For a guy who spent waaaay too much time on his computer, Billy was shockingly bad with technology.
Billy looked down at the robot and its lost wheel, then gave Lyra a sympathetic frown.
"This poor little guy ain't doing so well, eh?"
((Guillermo "Billy" Trevino: Pregame Start))
It was a beautiful, if chilly, Sunday afternoon. Billy had an essay due the next day on World War I and he hadn't typed a single word yet. So naturally, Billy was spending his afternoon skateboarding in the park. It was best for him to clear his mind before sitting down to vomit out an essay, right? Otherwise he'd just be antsy and get distracted the whole time. Besides, if he didn't finish it today he could just hand it in on Tuesday with a few points taken off. Old McClellan wouldn't give a shit either way.
Billy slowed to a stop and picked up his board when he saw Lyra. She was playing with some half-finished robot, and it clearly wasn't going very well. Billy vaguely recalled that Lyra was involved with the robotics Club at school. That sort of stuff always seemed really cool to Billy but he doubted that he'd be able to get involved with it himself. For a guy who spent waaaay too much time on his computer, Billy was shockingly bad with technology.
Billy looked down at the robot and its lost wheel, then gave Lyra a sympathetic frown.
"This poor little guy ain't doing so well, eh?"
"Ah, uh, oh, hey!"
Lyra jumped in shock as they heard Billy echoing their... choice word of dismay. They spun around to face him, almost flinging the transmitter out of their hand as they did so, letting out another cry of alarm as they desperately held on to it. A wheel breaking off of Chiron was annoying and a setback but fixable. They still had the wheel right there, after all. A transmitter smashing into the ground? That was... a lot trickier to fix. That would be a very expensive mistake to make, especially after Lyra had maybe sorta kinda ordered a t-shirt that had a little demon kitty on it and the words 'Cathulhu'.
Listen. It had been on sale. It looked cute. No-one could blame them.
They gingerly placed the transmitter back onto the park bench, and looked at Billy, sheepish grin on their face, blush firmly planted in their cheeks.
"Listen," they began, already unable to keep the giggle out of their voice. "Sometimes, when people get mad, they say things they don't mean, and things they regret. Like 'penis'!"
Lyra giggled again and gave Billy a warm smile. They liked Billy. They hadn't managed to get on his bad side yet, which meant they knew he liked them too. They'd bumped into each other at a couple of parties and had a few, admittedly alcohol fuelled, conversations about paranormal activity and stuff, so that was cool!
"Yeah, it's, uh..."
They looked down at Chiron, all lopsided and pathetic next to its broken wheel, and their smile turned into a thin straight line of a frown.
"It's seen better days."
Lyra folded their arms and sighed.
"Lil' Chiron's supposed to be able to obliterate any other robot it hits, but considering it can't even drive right now, that doesn't look like it's gonna happen in the near future."
Lyra picked the wheel up and held it to their right eye, closing their opposite number, looking at Billy through one of the tiny holes they'd cut into it to minimise weight.
"I really thought I'd attached this securely, too..."
Lyra jumped in shock as they heard Billy echoing their... choice word of dismay. They spun around to face him, almost flinging the transmitter out of their hand as they did so, letting out another cry of alarm as they desperately held on to it. A wheel breaking off of Chiron was annoying and a setback but fixable. They still had the wheel right there, after all. A transmitter smashing into the ground? That was... a lot trickier to fix. That would be a very expensive mistake to make, especially after Lyra had maybe sorta kinda ordered a t-shirt that had a little demon kitty on it and the words 'Cathulhu'.
Listen. It had been on sale. It looked cute. No-one could blame them.
They gingerly placed the transmitter back onto the park bench, and looked at Billy, sheepish grin on their face, blush firmly planted in their cheeks.
"Listen," they began, already unable to keep the giggle out of their voice. "Sometimes, when people get mad, they say things they don't mean, and things they regret. Like 'penis'!"
Lyra giggled again and gave Billy a warm smile. They liked Billy. They hadn't managed to get on his bad side yet, which meant they knew he liked them too. They'd bumped into each other at a couple of parties and had a few, admittedly alcohol fuelled, conversations about paranormal activity and stuff, so that was cool!
"Yeah, it's, uh..."
They looked down at Chiron, all lopsided and pathetic next to its broken wheel, and their smile turned into a thin straight line of a frown.
"It's seen better days."
Lyra folded their arms and sighed.
"Lil' Chiron's supposed to be able to obliterate any other robot it hits, but considering it can't even drive right now, that doesn't look like it's gonna happen in the near future."
Lyra picked the wheel up and held it to their right eye, closing their opposite number, looking at Billy through one of the tiny holes they'd cut into it to minimise weight.
"I really thought I'd attached this securely, too..."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Billy couldn't help but grin at Lyra's flustered reaction. Billy wasn't close with Lyra, but he found her pretty fun to talk with. She was always lighthearted and funny, which could be a godsend considering how miserable George Hunter High could be sometimes. She knew some good stories about paranormal stuff, too.
Still, Billy didn't know too much about her, so he was surprised and intrigued when Lyra mentioned that the broken little robot was designed to 'obliterate'.
"Wait, so you're building it to fight other robots?" Billy asked. Honestly, he had thought that the Robotics Club just built robots to do simple tasks, so they could learn about science or whatever. This was even cooler.
"Man, that's awesome. It's like that show, right? Uh... what was it called...?" Digging into the recesses of his memory, Billy remembered watching a few reruns of some 90s robot fighting show as a kid. What was the name of it? Bot Battle or something?
"...Well, I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about." Billy realized that he had let his mind drift a bit and tried to refocus his thoughts. "Aaanyway, how is it going to destroy other robots? Is it going to have a saw blade or something?"
Still, Billy didn't know too much about her, so he was surprised and intrigued when Lyra mentioned that the broken little robot was designed to 'obliterate'.
"Wait, so you're building it to fight other robots?" Billy asked. Honestly, he had thought that the Robotics Club just built robots to do simple tasks, so they could learn about science or whatever. This was even cooler.
"Man, that's awesome. It's like that show, right? Uh... what was it called...?" Digging into the recesses of his memory, Billy remembered watching a few reruns of some 90s robot fighting show as a kid. What was the name of it? Bot Battle or something?
"...Well, I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about." Billy realized that he had let his mind drift a bit and tried to refocus his thoughts. "Aaanyway, how is it going to destroy other robots? Is it going to have a saw blade or something?"
((Toby Time))
Winter was the worst for going outside, unless you were a kid and wanted a snowman, but even then half the fun was coming back in and drinking hot chocolate, right? Toby wasn't a cold-loving person, and he was skeptical of people who said they were. Lizard people were one thing, but had anyone investigated into the secret coalition of penguin aliens?
Toby paused and ran his coat sleeve across his damp brow. Wait, someone probably had. Given that Flat Earth supporters still existed, people really would believe anything. Man, now that's just kinda sad. Way to ruin funny nonsense by making it sincere, truther assholes.
At the very least it was a bit less frigid today. There wasn't a shitload of snow everywhere and it was sunny out, so Toby went for a run. That warmed him up, at least, and he unzipped his warm jacket and fanned himself with the opening. He'd probably regret it in a few minutes but what the hell, he'd just put it back on and be warm again. That's what jackets are for.
Hey, people to talk to instead of stupid shit to navel-gaze over. Even better, people he actually kind of recognized. Toby zipped his jacket halfway up, a fair compromise, and started moving towards them from the path. Billy was one of them, and that was kind of cool. He was a hothead and got a little loud sometimes but he was cool people. They were chill.
The other person was, L...Leila? No, Lara. No, wait, not that. Lyra, right. Toby hadn't talked to her one-on-one or anything, but she seemed nice. She was into weird stuff though, not like kinky (as far as Toby knew) but like, magic or witchcraft or something. She was cute, though, bubbly, like an adorable cherub. Wait, that's weird. Nope, nope, not going there.
"Hey guys, wassup?" Toby said piped up as he got close enough to see the...toy car? He cocked his head and took a look at it. It was broken, but he couldn't tell if it was just the missing wheel or the other junk inside it needed fixing. Not looking too good, though. Lyra was holding the wheel, and had a controller next to her, so it was probably hers. Wasn't she on the robotics team?
He looked from the poor metal thing to Lyra. "That's a shame. Out of gas?" He gave a lopsided smile and turned to Billy. "Hey, you helpin' her out? You do computer stuff right?" He pantomimed typing, then pocked his hands. He should've brought gloves.
Winter was the worst for going outside, unless you were a kid and wanted a snowman, but even then half the fun was coming back in and drinking hot chocolate, right? Toby wasn't a cold-loving person, and he was skeptical of people who said they were. Lizard people were one thing, but had anyone investigated into the secret coalition of penguin aliens?
Toby paused and ran his coat sleeve across his damp brow. Wait, someone probably had. Given that Flat Earth supporters still existed, people really would believe anything. Man, now that's just kinda sad. Way to ruin funny nonsense by making it sincere, truther assholes.
At the very least it was a bit less frigid today. There wasn't a shitload of snow everywhere and it was sunny out, so Toby went for a run. That warmed him up, at least, and he unzipped his warm jacket and fanned himself with the opening. He'd probably regret it in a few minutes but what the hell, he'd just put it back on and be warm again. That's what jackets are for.
Hey, people to talk to instead of stupid shit to navel-gaze over. Even better, people he actually kind of recognized. Toby zipped his jacket halfway up, a fair compromise, and started moving towards them from the path. Billy was one of them, and that was kind of cool. He was a hothead and got a little loud sometimes but he was cool people. They were chill.
The other person was, L...Leila? No, Lara. No, wait, not that. Lyra, right. Toby hadn't talked to her one-on-one or anything, but she seemed nice. She was into weird stuff though, not like kinky (as far as Toby knew) but like, magic or witchcraft or something. She was cute, though, bubbly, like an adorable cherub. Wait, that's weird. Nope, nope, not going there.
"Hey guys, wassup?" Toby said piped up as he got close enough to see the...toy car? He cocked his head and took a look at it. It was broken, but he couldn't tell if it was just the missing wheel or the other junk inside it needed fixing. Not looking too good, though. Lyra was holding the wheel, and had a controller next to her, so it was probably hers. Wasn't she on the robotics team?
He looked from the poor metal thing to Lyra. "That's a shame. Out of gas?" He gave a lopsided smile and turned to Billy. "Hey, you helpin' her out? You do computer stuff right?" He pantomimed typing, then pocked his hands. He should've brought gloves.
"Oh!!!"
Lyra very visibly lit up the instant Billy mentioned he'd watched one of the robot combat shows, eyes bright, massive smile on their face, straight up bouncing on the balls of their feet in excitement. There were so few people at George Hunter who had even heard of robot combat, let alone enjoyed it! Well. Actually. There were probably a whole bunch more people who did like that sorta thing but kept it under wraps. Cause, y'know, they thought they were too cool and shit, acting like they didn't enjoy watching robots rip each other to shreds, calling Lyra a nerd and a dork for enjoying it and whatever. And you know what?
They... kinda had a point. But, hey, whatever. It made Lyra happy. They weren't gonna give something like that up, no matter what anyone said.
"Yeah, that's where I got the inspiration to build Chiron!" Lyra chirped, putting the wheel back down on the bench and placing their hands back on their hips. "I've been watching BattleBots and Robot Wars since I was tiny, and I figured, hey, I should try my hand at that!"
A tiny gust of wind threatened to topple Chiron onto its wheel-less side. Lyra let out a disgruntled noise and slumped a little.
"It's... a work in progress. But-"
Oh, hey, it was Toby! They waved at him as he approached, big ol' smile reappearing on her face as they flashed that grin at him. Toby was another friendly face, just an all around pleasant guy, and despite being on the track team, he was totally a nerd. Like, the dude played Magic. Lyra was an expert in the art of being a dork, and Toby? Total nerd.
"C'mon, gas? Petrol driven robots haven't been in vogue for years now, Tobe!"
They giggled and took a step to the side, hands firmly against their hips again – gosh, they were quite getting used to this position, it made them feel like they were in charge – allowing Toby to get a good view of the less-than-impressive sight of their robot.
"This is Chiron! He's a, or at least he will be a, combat robot! Soon as he gets his wheel back on, and the front half of him, uh, made."
Lyra angled their head, focusing their attention on Billy but making sure they kept Toby in their field of view. They could hit two birds with one stone, this way – not that they ever would, of course. What kinda fucklehead would chuck stones at birds? But if they didn't get too excited talking about robots and stumble over their words, they could let Toby know what they were doing, and let Billy know how exactly they were gonna blow over robots to smithereens.
"I'm planning on putting a, uh, spinning drum on the front of him at some point this year. Tune it to go at... uh..."
Hmmm. Probably a good idea to avoid terms like 'RPM' out of the conversation. DEFINITELY a good idea to leave 'srimech' at home, too.
"Well, it's gonna go real fast, hopefully! Should be enough to knock other robots all over the place, hopefully rip some armour and stuff off too! Could probably rip a finger off as well, so I'm gonna leave putting the drum on until last, if I can help it."
Lyra paused, replayed their words in their head, and shook their head slightly, a sheepish look now on their face.
"Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn't it? It's totally safe, I promise! There's plenty of protection and stuff for the roboteers!"
They stepped back towards the bench, slipping their hands underneath Chiron and cradling it gently in their hands, allowing the two boys to get a closer look at it.
"Chiron definitely isn't gonna be hurting anything any time soon..."
Lyra very visibly lit up the instant Billy mentioned he'd watched one of the robot combat shows, eyes bright, massive smile on their face, straight up bouncing on the balls of their feet in excitement. There were so few people at George Hunter who had even heard of robot combat, let alone enjoyed it! Well. Actually. There were probably a whole bunch more people who did like that sorta thing but kept it under wraps. Cause, y'know, they thought they were too cool and shit, acting like they didn't enjoy watching robots rip each other to shreds, calling Lyra a nerd and a dork for enjoying it and whatever. And you know what?
They... kinda had a point. But, hey, whatever. It made Lyra happy. They weren't gonna give something like that up, no matter what anyone said.
"Yeah, that's where I got the inspiration to build Chiron!" Lyra chirped, putting the wheel back down on the bench and placing their hands back on their hips. "I've been watching BattleBots and Robot Wars since I was tiny, and I figured, hey, I should try my hand at that!"
A tiny gust of wind threatened to topple Chiron onto its wheel-less side. Lyra let out a disgruntled noise and slumped a little.
"It's... a work in progress. But-"
Oh, hey, it was Toby! They waved at him as he approached, big ol' smile reappearing on her face as they flashed that grin at him. Toby was another friendly face, just an all around pleasant guy, and despite being on the track team, he was totally a nerd. Like, the dude played Magic. Lyra was an expert in the art of being a dork, and Toby? Total nerd.
"C'mon, gas? Petrol driven robots haven't been in vogue for years now, Tobe!"
They giggled and took a step to the side, hands firmly against their hips again – gosh, they were quite getting used to this position, it made them feel like they were in charge – allowing Toby to get a good view of the less-than-impressive sight of their robot.
"This is Chiron! He's a, or at least he will be a, combat robot! Soon as he gets his wheel back on, and the front half of him, uh, made."
Lyra angled their head, focusing their attention on Billy but making sure they kept Toby in their field of view. They could hit two birds with one stone, this way – not that they ever would, of course. What kinda fucklehead would chuck stones at birds? But if they didn't get too excited talking about robots and stumble over their words, they could let Toby know what they were doing, and let Billy know how exactly they were gonna blow over robots to smithereens.
"I'm planning on putting a, uh, spinning drum on the front of him at some point this year. Tune it to go at... uh..."
Hmmm. Probably a good idea to avoid terms like 'RPM' out of the conversation. DEFINITELY a good idea to leave 'srimech' at home, too.
"Well, it's gonna go real fast, hopefully! Should be enough to knock other robots all over the place, hopefully rip some armour and stuff off too! Could probably rip a finger off as well, so I'm gonna leave putting the drum on until last, if I can help it."
Lyra paused, replayed their words in their head, and shook their head slightly, a sheepish look now on their face.
"Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn't it? It's totally safe, I promise! There's plenty of protection and stuff for the roboteers!"
They stepped back towards the bench, slipping their hands underneath Chiron and cradling it gently in their hands, allowing the two boys to get a closer look at it.
"Chiron definitely isn't gonna be hurting anything any time soon..."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Lyra perked up and her eyes started sparkling at Billy's mention of that half-remembered robot fighting show. Jeez, he really must have flipped some sort of switch there. Billy only wished that he could be that excited about something. He was kind of jealous.
She suddenly waved at someone behind him. Billy spun around and came face-to-face with Toby. Toby was cool. Billy grinned.
"Computer stuff? Me?" he laughed. "I can use one for a while without it blowing up, usually. That's about it. Nah, I just ran into her."
Yeah, he ran into two people from school by complete coincidence and neither of them were assholes. What were the odds? It was a lucky day for Billy. Well, aside from the report thing. He didn't want to think about that.
Billy turned back to Lyra and got a good look at "Chiron". It was hard to believe that the little thing would eventually be able to rip peoples' fingers off.
"Damn, that's pretty scary. I hope you always use your talents for good, and never for evil." Billy nodded sagely.
She suddenly waved at someone behind him. Billy spun around and came face-to-face with Toby. Toby was cool. Billy grinned.
"Computer stuff? Me?" he laughed. "I can use one for a while without it blowing up, usually. That's about it. Nah, I just ran into her."
Yeah, he ran into two people from school by complete coincidence and neither of them were assholes. What were the odds? It was a lucky day for Billy. Well, aside from the report thing. He didn't want to think about that.
Billy turned back to Lyra and got a good look at "Chiron". It was hard to believe that the little thing would eventually be able to rip peoples' fingers off.
"Damn, that's pretty scary. I hope you always use your talents for good, and never for evil." Billy nodded sagely.
"Combat robot?" Toby paused. "Badass."
Let's be real, Toby was many things, many great things at that, but tech wizard he was not. His mom used computers a lot for work, and he picked up some stuff from her, but the most internet stuff he did was for following MtG streams, and he rarely did even that. So it was always impressive to see people do this crazy shit with stuff. Like those robots that can jump or walk on any terrain, just beyond real.
Lyra's robot was, to put it gently, not to that level yet. Still, Toby gave it an appreciative nod. Who was he to judge? Her robot wasn't professional level, but she was his age and had actually made a robot herself. Again, badass.
Her description of its future as a murder machine only solidified his opinion, and he whistled appreciatively, turning to Billy. "I second that motion, man." He gave an impish grin and stroked his chin dramatically. "Of course, if you ever did build a giant conquering robot, you need some lieutenants to be second-in-commands, right? Eh?" He raised his eyebrows for good measure.
Toby chuckled and returned his hand to his pocket. Still cold, still no gloves. "But seriously, that's awesome. It's gonna spin and crush stuff, then? Like a steamroller." Murderous steamroller. Sounded like a bad horror movie. "That's a ways off, I take it?" He did not look towards the poor lopsided bot, but the tone was there anyway.
"Do you have a deadline or anything? Like I mean, you've got time to work in it right?" A colder wind was picking up, so Toby zipped his jacket back up all the way and shrugged his shoulders to cover his lower face with the collar.
Let's be real, Toby was many things, many great things at that, but tech wizard he was not. His mom used computers a lot for work, and he picked up some stuff from her, but the most internet stuff he did was for following MtG streams, and he rarely did even that. So it was always impressive to see people do this crazy shit with stuff. Like those robots that can jump or walk on any terrain, just beyond real.
Lyra's robot was, to put it gently, not to that level yet. Still, Toby gave it an appreciative nod. Who was he to judge? Her robot wasn't professional level, but she was his age and had actually made a robot herself. Again, badass.
Her description of its future as a murder machine only solidified his opinion, and he whistled appreciatively, turning to Billy. "I second that motion, man." He gave an impish grin and stroked his chin dramatically. "Of course, if you ever did build a giant conquering robot, you need some lieutenants to be second-in-commands, right? Eh?" He raised his eyebrows for good measure.
Toby chuckled and returned his hand to his pocket. Still cold, still no gloves. "But seriously, that's awesome. It's gonna spin and crush stuff, then? Like a steamroller." Murderous steamroller. Sounded like a bad horror movie. "That's a ways off, I take it?" He did not look towards the poor lopsided bot, but the tone was there anyway.
"Do you have a deadline or anything? Like I mean, you've got time to work in it right?" A colder wind was picking up, so Toby zipped his jacket back up all the way and shrugged his shoulders to cover his lower face with the collar.
"I make no promises," Lyra said, fixing Billy with a hard stare. They held that expression for just the perfect amount of time for him and Toby to start getting uncomfortable, before they burst into a fit of snort giggles.
"I'm teasing! Teasing!" Lyra said, still giggling, brushing back a strand of hair that had shaken itself loose during their fit of laughter. "It's way more fun to smash other robots to pieces! But if I do ever get a rush of blood to the head and build a massive giant Killertron-"
Wait, no, that name wouldn't do at all.
"-or a Destructosaur-"
Fuck, neither would that one. Damnit, why did all the badass names have to be taken by robots made out of half a trash bin?
"-then I'll let you live safely and peacefully inside of my human zoo, where you can roam free as my robot servants gaze at you in wonder."
Lyra giggled again, putting Chiron back down onto the bench and crouching down to open their bag, pulling a small cardboard box from its cavernous depths.
"I'm afraid the position of second-in-command has already been taken, though," they continued, setting the box down next to Chiron. Right now, if the two had to fight, they'd have to put their money on The Cardboard Boxer to take the win. "She's given me some help whilst I've been struggling to make this little guy functional. I actually think she donated this wheel to me..."
They paused, frowning, and put their hands on their hips for a second before raising their right index finger into the air.
"Billy, Toby, you may now fight each other for the position of my lieutenant in chief. My previous right-hand man appears to have sabotaged me."
Lyra giggled again and hummed merrily to themselves as they flipped the lid of the box open, revealing its mystical contents; a polystyrene block, with one large indent to the left and a couple of smaller ones on the right side. They nestled Chiron within the larger slot, making sure he wasn't likely to bounce around on the way back home, and plopped the wheel into one of the other indents.
Whilst Lyra appeared calm – as calm as someone as bubbly and ceaselessly perky as Lyra could be, anyway – inside, they were absolutely buzzing. This was amazing! This was fantastic! This was, as they were led to believe the cool kids said, 'hella lit'! They hadn't met anyone who'd been this interested in robot combat for ages! Their parents were glad they enjoyed it, and happy for them to be building Chiron, but they could tell that they didn't understand a single bit of it, not really. But here, right now, Toby had straight up called it 'badass!' Lyra was so happy they could have cried.
"There!"
Lyra shut the box and carefully slipped it back into their bag, creating a pleasant jingle-jangle of metal as they jostled today's set of badges.
"Safe and sound. Plenty of time to get that wheel fixed and to, y'know, complete the rest of him. There's no deadline or anything, this is my own personal project! I'm not gonna stop working on him until I'm totally satisfied he's up to combat capabilities! Maybe in a couple of years' time I'll be able to enter him into one of the antweight tournaments, there's bound to be one held in Tennessee or Kentucky or some place nearby!"
They brushed another strand of hair from behind their glasses – gosh, the wind really was picking up now, huh? – before they bit their lip and stared at their shoes.
"I could send you guys the YouTube videos for it when it happens, or for some, like, big-name antweight fights from the past! Y'know, if you wanted me to..."
"I'm teasing! Teasing!" Lyra said, still giggling, brushing back a strand of hair that had shaken itself loose during their fit of laughter. "It's way more fun to smash other robots to pieces! But if I do ever get a rush of blood to the head and build a massive giant Killertron-"
Wait, no, that name wouldn't do at all.
"-or a Destructosaur-"
Fuck, neither would that one. Damnit, why did all the badass names have to be taken by robots made out of half a trash bin?
"-then I'll let you live safely and peacefully inside of my human zoo, where you can roam free as my robot servants gaze at you in wonder."
Lyra giggled again, putting Chiron back down onto the bench and crouching down to open their bag, pulling a small cardboard box from its cavernous depths.
"I'm afraid the position of second-in-command has already been taken, though," they continued, setting the box down next to Chiron. Right now, if the two had to fight, they'd have to put their money on The Cardboard Boxer to take the win. "She's given me some help whilst I've been struggling to make this little guy functional. I actually think she donated this wheel to me..."
They paused, frowning, and put their hands on their hips for a second before raising their right index finger into the air.
"Billy, Toby, you may now fight each other for the position of my lieutenant in chief. My previous right-hand man appears to have sabotaged me."
Lyra giggled again and hummed merrily to themselves as they flipped the lid of the box open, revealing its mystical contents; a polystyrene block, with one large indent to the left and a couple of smaller ones on the right side. They nestled Chiron within the larger slot, making sure he wasn't likely to bounce around on the way back home, and plopped the wheel into one of the other indents.
Whilst Lyra appeared calm – as calm as someone as bubbly and ceaselessly perky as Lyra could be, anyway – inside, they were absolutely buzzing. This was amazing! This was fantastic! This was, as they were led to believe the cool kids said, 'hella lit'! They hadn't met anyone who'd been this interested in robot combat for ages! Their parents were glad they enjoyed it, and happy for them to be building Chiron, but they could tell that they didn't understand a single bit of it, not really. But here, right now, Toby had straight up called it 'badass!' Lyra was so happy they could have cried.
"There!"
Lyra shut the box and carefully slipped it back into their bag, creating a pleasant jingle-jangle of metal as they jostled today's set of badges.
"Safe and sound. Plenty of time to get that wheel fixed and to, y'know, complete the rest of him. There's no deadline or anything, this is my own personal project! I'm not gonna stop working on him until I'm totally satisfied he's up to combat capabilities! Maybe in a couple of years' time I'll be able to enter him into one of the antweight tournaments, there's bound to be one held in Tennessee or Kentucky or some place nearby!"
They brushed another strand of hair from behind their glasses – gosh, the wind really was picking up now, huh? – before they bit their lip and stared at their shoes.
"I could send you guys the YouTube videos for it when it happens, or for some, like, big-name antweight fights from the past! Y'know, if you wanted me to..."
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Lyra was getting really enthusiastic. Billy smiled throughout her ramblings, staying quiet but casting a few amused side-glances at Toby. Honestly, Billy barely understood half the stuff she was talking about, and he didn't know how to respond to even the stuff he did understand. Her positivity was a real breath of fresh air, though. If Billy put the effort into being even half that positive, then maybe - yeah, no, that wasn't happening. He wouldn't last fifteen minutes.
Eh.
"Yeah, send it to me." he said. "Good luck! I hope Chiron becomes the most terrifying robot in the world so I can tell people I knew him in high school."
Billy felt a chill as a gust hit him, blowing hair across his face. Lyra had packed up her robot and that niggling feeling at the back of Billy's mind was becoming harder to ignore. Billy dropped his board back to the ground and placed his foot on it.
"I should probably go home. I have an essay due for McClellan tomorrow and I'm starting to think I should actually do it. I'll see you guys around school."
Billy turned around and kicked off. Billy felt a light clam as he skated back through the park, the cold wind in his face. A relaxed sense of confidence that he hadn't had earlier. He was feeling like he could go right back home and knock out that essay without any trouble.
...But he wouldn't count on it.
((Billy Trevino continued in And It All Worked Out in the End))
Eh.
"Yeah, send it to me." he said. "Good luck! I hope Chiron becomes the most terrifying robot in the world so I can tell people I knew him in high school."
Billy felt a chill as a gust hit him, blowing hair across his face. Lyra had packed up her robot and that niggling feeling at the back of Billy's mind was becoming harder to ignore. Billy dropped his board back to the ground and placed his foot on it.
"I should probably go home. I have an essay due for McClellan tomorrow and I'm starting to think I should actually do it. I'll see you guys around school."
Billy turned around and kicked off. Billy felt a light clam as he skated back through the park, the cold wind in his face. A relaxed sense of confidence that he hadn't had earlier. He was feeling like he could go right back home and knock out that essay without any trouble.
...But he wouldn't count on it.
((Billy Trevino continued in And It All Worked Out in the End))
Man, Lyra was chipper. Toby didn't see her too often, but he got the feeling she was like a cup of coffee but, you know, ambient. She had tons of energy, which was cool. Seeing someone get so enthusiastic made him feel good.
Damn, it was cold though. The wind was even worse now, and Toby pulled his jacket tightly around himself. Luckily it was blowing towards him now, which meant the walk back would be a little easier. He hoped. Rubbing his eyes as droplets of snow spritzed him, Toby tried to smile--or at least grimace less--and call out as Billy wandered off.
"Later man!"
He turned his head and covered himself from the cold in his face. Dammit, where was global warming when you need it? "That's pretty sick though. Not the zoo thing, I mean, I am a wild, untamed spirit." He chuckled briefly. "The robot fighting, though. Good luck for when you get that far."
Toby wiped his face again. Jeez, this was the worst. He should probably just start jogging home. Running faster was a pain in the ass--sprinting wasn't his forte--but he could manage. "Yeah, I'm gonna head back too. You can hit me up with a link sometime if you want, though!"
Giving another friendly wave, Toby started jogging back towards the rest of the city. Not facing the wind was a relief, though. He'd be fine getting home; he just had to motivate himself with thoughts of hot cocoa. Oh, and that show they were gonna try. He could check that out with Gramps, maybe. That'd be nice.
((Toby Underwood continued in Let's Get Physical!))
Damn, it was cold though. The wind was even worse now, and Toby pulled his jacket tightly around himself. Luckily it was blowing towards him now, which meant the walk back would be a little easier. He hoped. Rubbing his eyes as droplets of snow spritzed him, Toby tried to smile--or at least grimace less--and call out as Billy wandered off.
"Later man!"
He turned his head and covered himself from the cold in his face. Dammit, where was global warming when you need it? "That's pretty sick though. Not the zoo thing, I mean, I am a wild, untamed spirit." He chuckled briefly. "The robot fighting, though. Good luck for when you get that far."
Toby wiped his face again. Jeez, this was the worst. He should probably just start jogging home. Running faster was a pain in the ass--sprinting wasn't his forte--but he could manage. "Yeah, I'm gonna head back too. You can hit me up with a link sometime if you want, though!"
Giving another friendly wave, Toby started jogging back towards the rest of the city. Not facing the wind was a relief, though. He'd be fine getting home; he just had to motivate himself with thoughts of hot cocoa. Oh, and that show they were gonna try. He could check that out with Gramps, maybe. That'd be nice.
((Toby Underwood continued in Let's Get Physical!))
"Okay, yeah, cool, I'll get, like, a bunch of some really hype fights and send them to you both this evening!"
Lyra grinned, even as their teeth started to chatter and they felt their hair whip violently in the wind. Christ, it could get cold as dicks out, couldn't it? Maybe Chiron's wheel wobbling off had been a blessing in disguise. If they'd still been testing him in this weather, then one perfectly timed gust of wind could easily have sent him tumbling off of the bench, and that'd have been a fuckton more expensive than just one broken wheel.
Or, heck, maybe it'd have just picked him up and chucked him over the border to Virginia. Or maybe even further! Chiron wasn't even a fully-fledged antweight yet, after all, he was, like, half of one. An antwe. Lyra could have turned the news on tomorrow to see the top story of a small, wheeled box being discovered in Area 51. God, the conspiracy theorists would go nuts.
But, fortunately, Chiron wasn't currently on his way to the UFO hanger. He was all nestled up snugly in his box, ready to go home, because God knows, Lyra was as well.
"See you guys later!"
Lyra gave Billy and Toby a cheerful wave as they headed off, waiting until they were absolutely and completely out of sight, and that nobody else was looking at them. Then, with a massive grin on their face, they fistpumped the air, giggling as they started to dance around the bench.
Christ, they were shit at dancing, but they couldn't care less. This wasn't what usually happened at all! This was great! Most people, when Lyra brought up the topic of robot combat, just smiled politely and declined any sort of further introduction to the sport, or looked at them like they had gone completely mental. So this? This felt fucking amazing.
Another billowing gust of wind raged across the park, almost sending Lyra tumbling over mid-leap. Okay, yep, definitely time to head home. They'd have plenty of time to feel all warm and fuzzy when they weren't freezing their butt off.
Swinging their messenger bag over their shoulder, Lyra marched on out of the park, whistling the X-Files theme as they did so.
((Lyra Doyle continued in life observes itself))
Lyra grinned, even as their teeth started to chatter and they felt their hair whip violently in the wind. Christ, it could get cold as dicks out, couldn't it? Maybe Chiron's wheel wobbling off had been a blessing in disguise. If they'd still been testing him in this weather, then one perfectly timed gust of wind could easily have sent him tumbling off of the bench, and that'd have been a fuckton more expensive than just one broken wheel.
Or, heck, maybe it'd have just picked him up and chucked him over the border to Virginia. Or maybe even further! Chiron wasn't even a fully-fledged antweight yet, after all, he was, like, half of one. An antwe. Lyra could have turned the news on tomorrow to see the top story of a small, wheeled box being discovered in Area 51. God, the conspiracy theorists would go nuts.
But, fortunately, Chiron wasn't currently on his way to the UFO hanger. He was all nestled up snugly in his box, ready to go home, because God knows, Lyra was as well.
"See you guys later!"
Lyra gave Billy and Toby a cheerful wave as they headed off, waiting until they were absolutely and completely out of sight, and that nobody else was looking at them. Then, with a massive grin on their face, they fistpumped the air, giggling as they started to dance around the bench.
Christ, they were shit at dancing, but they couldn't care less. This wasn't what usually happened at all! This was great! Most people, when Lyra brought up the topic of robot combat, just smiled politely and declined any sort of further introduction to the sport, or looked at them like they had gone completely mental. So this? This felt fucking amazing.
Another billowing gust of wind raged across the park, almost sending Lyra tumbling over mid-leap. Okay, yep, definitely time to head home. They'd have plenty of time to feel all warm and fuzzy when they weren't freezing their butt off.
Swinging their messenger bag over their shoulder, Lyra marched on out of the park, whistling the X-Files theme as they did so.
((Lyra Doyle continued in life observes itself))
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017