mental link: Find my iPhone

[vocalis]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Bearings
WHEN: DAY: 37 - morning
SUMMARY: Putting the brain network to it's truest use
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary

[ So far, every time someone has used the mental network on a mass scale it's been for a good reason. Using it at all is prying in the most intrusive way, isn't it? It should be reserved for only the most pressing matters. Information sharing, help seeking, quiet discussion to further the mission.

So it should be for an equally important reason that Aoba reaches out now, his voice oddly pleasant as ever to listen to but nervous in it's delivery. ]

I'm really sorry to reach out to you this way all of a sudden, but... uh...



Has anybody seen my datapad?



[ Well... so much for keeping the mass mental link purely professional. And this less than professional message is going out on the morning after a long night, no less. Maybe he should've checked how many hosts were still sleeping. Too late now though, he's in the middle of it. ]

It's got a sticker on the back of it that looks like-



Sorry, it's just... I've been looking for it for like a week now and using Angel's in the meantime. But she's got some locks on it and her coding is really good and-

Uh, anyway yeah, if you see it just let me know. Sorry again.

[ He leaves the connection as swiftly as he burst in, as if bowing out and away, embarrassed. He must've really lost the thing if this is how he's going about recovering it. ]

Comments

[shiro2hero]

It's all right. I... just figured knowing something is better than nothing, right?

[It's impossible to lie when you're this new to the whole brain-connection thing. There's no hard feelings on his end. No complaints.]

[He'll take anything.]

Thanks. Even a little helps.

[vocalis]

Right, of course. You're welcome.

[ A silence falls, radio static punctuated by the soft buzzing beat that's been growing more present in the back of Aoba's mind lately. Similar to music, though only of a certain modern taste. Finally he reaches out again, in gentle gratitude- ]

Well, um, thanks for answering my... I guess this is like a call. And thanks for looking out for my datapad. I'll let you know if it turns up.

[ And then, remembering something else - an inkling of a question he felt when Shiro first touched his mind, he adds- ]

It's a dog, by the way. The sticker.

[shiro2hero]

(Hey, it's no problem. Gives me something to do besides destroy appliances.) [A beat. An awkward one, with a sudden flash of the microwave on fire and his metal hand clamped over the door to try and smother the flames.] (Accidentally, anyway.)

[That music trick isn't bad. It's nice to have something that isn't just emotion pounding through.]

(I'll let you know if I run into it, too.) [He grins, then, finally.] (I thought it might be. It's cute.)

[vocalis]

Destroy appliances...? O... oh.

[ The image of the microwave on fire is unexpected, but that does explain it better than words. He senses a little guilt there and decides not to pry about how it happened... or about his arm. ]

Well, I'm sure it's something we can put in a work order for...

[ Their neighbors must hate them. ]

Thanks again.

[ He grins too. Even if Shiro isn't presently there to see it, there's a warmth over the connection that spreads like turning up a deep base. ]

[vocalis]

[vocalis]

[ When Aoba reaches out again, it isn't with the same warmth. He's clearly irritated, but he did say he'd keep Shiro updated in case his datapad turned up and- ]

My datapad turned up.

[ So here he is. ]

1/2

[shiro2hero]

(Yeah... it. May have reacted badly when I tried to change a setting.)

[To say the least. At least he sounds more sheepish about it now than anything else.]

[A vague sensation of nodding in agreement.]

(No problem. Happy to help.)

[shiro2hero]

[Well, that's. A weird sort of change. And it's vaguely alarming.]

(That's good, right? What's wrong?)

[vocalis]

Someone had it.

[ Which is reason enough to be sour. Someone had it this long and didn't think to return it? But it gets worse. ]

And he's making up some story about how I threw it at him, with a fabricated memory to go along with it.

[shiro2hero]

(Someone...?)

[Well he's almost about to say that isn't it a good thing someone had it, that it wasn't lost. But...]

[But the words "fabricated memory" slam home more sharply than anything else. Slams into him sharp and panicked. He doesn't even think to try and hide it.]

(They -- what? They what?)

[vocalis]

[ Shiro's reaction... it hits unexpectedly hard. Regret quickly curbs his petty anger. Maybe he shouldn't have been so sure to word it the way he did when he's not so sure himself. ]

Well... I don't know what else it could be. He showed a memory of me doing something I don't recall.

I definitely didn't throw my datapad at him.

[ He'd remember something like that... right? ]

[shiro2hero]

(I... maybe. Maybe you forgot it happened. For some reason.)

[He's really, really trying now, to shove the fear under a rug, back in its box. To not think about the possibility of false memories.]

[Or what Pidge said about him being lied to -- lied to in order to bring him here.]

[vocalis]

I... no, I know I didn't.

[ It has to be a false memory. If he doesn't remain certain of that he might start thinking of what else it could be, and he doesn't want to do that. The possibilities are too frightening.

But he's getting the feeling that this isn't about his datapad anymore, and that this creeping anxiety isn't entirely his. ]

Shiro, are you... is everything alright?

[shiro2hero]

(How can you be sure?)

[He really, truly doesn't mean for it to be accusatory. The fact he almost snaps it makes him wince. And try to focus on projecting apology instead of the creeping, buzzing fear floating through his limbs.]

[But, god. Oh god. He can't think of false memories now.]

(I'm fine. Fine -- I. It's nothing.)

[vocalis]

I...

[ He doesn't mean for it to be accusatory, but Aoba mentally balks. He's had memory loss before, so how can he be sure? Despite both their efforts to keep themselves contained while connected, Shiro's questioning and paranoia are starting to meld with his own. It's his initial anger at the other host and his short-fuse temper that keeps his panic in check.

Because this guy had his datapad, apparently knew him, and didn't give it back. Falsified or forgotten memories aside, why shouldn't he be angry? ]

I'm going to talk with him to try and clear things up. Don't worry about it so much until then, okay?

[ He tries to keep his tone steady and reassuring, but some of the residual anger may have made him sound too firm. ]

[shiro2hero]

(That's. That's a lot easier said than done.)

[At least he doesn't sound angry himself. Unsettled? Yes. Very much so. But he can't be angry at someone upset over tampered memories. That would be too hypocritical.]

[Two people panicking though -- as much as he tries to force it down -- it doesn't make for good times on anyone's end.]

(I'll do my best.)