castle_perrault | beep bop boop

The day is (probably) quiet.

Right up until... around the most center courtyard of the garden, there comes an electric buzzing, and then a sound like electric beeps and booping--almost as if a motherboard became sentient in a cheap early 2000s movie, which is very out of place given the castle's whole aesthetic. A swarm of red, blue, green, and black pixels starts to form around the very center stones of the courtyard.

The pixels start to form together more coherently while the sounds of fans whirring join the chorus and the sound of electricity grows, and the pixels start to become more blue and black than red or green.

Then comes a voice, hollow and robotic:

CALIBRATION IN PROCESS. PLEASE EXCUSE SOME MILD DISCOMFORT.

The pixels seem to ignite, beginning to form a vague shape as a blue glow creeps down between the lines of the stones, like someone had poured liquid glowstick directly from where the pixel swarm currently is, alive and abuzz with static and electricity. It seems to be so living and raw, touching it would be an incredibly bad idea.

CALIBRATION COMPLETE. ACCESS PROCEDURE INITIATED. DISCOMFORT LEVEL MAY INCREASE.

... weird that it's talking about "discomfort levels."

ACCESSING--

Then the voice seems to... whatever the robot equivalent of tripping up is, which is apparently to keep going, except instead of a voice it's become pure static and broken fax machine noises. That's concerning, but apparently the process keeps going, since the pixels have begun to spin and form the image of a a man in a trenchcoat. The lines disappear.

ACCESS PROCEDURE COMPLETE.

"CASTLE PERRAULT! Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Int--"

Wait.

That can't be right.

There's nothing to access. He's seeing from his projection's eyes and not his host. There's nothing.

"What the hell?"

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Guardian may be pretty technically competent, but they're more than ready to admit that they have no idea what just happened, at all. Not that they'd actually seen anything. But just hearing those announcements from a distance had been enough to bring them running.

Certainly one way to make an entrance.

They come up the path in time to hear his exclamation, and then his confusion. They can't help but be a little amused, despite themself.

"Expecting something else?"

The squip whips around.

Huh. Pink armor, weird dressing, lives in a castle.That's weird, but who is he to question people's lifestyles? His job is to analyze and work around them, not judge them.

Is this his host? ... no, he doesn't know their name. What's worse is that apparently, they see him. That can't be right. Squips can't be seen by anyone but their host, and this one is definitely not his. This isn't right. This isn't right. This isn't part of the goddamn programming.

Courtesy, squip. Best way to get someone to help you--be polite, look them in the eye, and ask.

"Yes," he says, the vowel drawn out like taffy. "Someone here has... called for me, but I don't know who. Could you help me find them?"

They endure the obligatory once-over patiently and with no comment. It's only once the squip speaks that Guardian's demeanor shifts, head tilted toward the other obligingly.

"Certainly." Or- hmm. "At least, I'm sure I can help you, but not in the way you've asked. What makes you sure you've been called here?"

After all, there's a difference between being called, and simply finding yourself somewhere unexpectedly. Guardian doesn't have much of a choice but to take the stranger's words at face value either way.

"Well," he says, "I didn't exist before now."

Maybe he did as a pill, but, well--his history data only goes back as far as the few minutes (and counting) that he's spent in the castle so far.

"Squips start existing when they're needed. Someone needs me. We don't just appear, that'd be ridiculous!" he twitters. "Anyone around here take a pill recently? Grey, oblong?"

His sensors aren't finding any Mountain Dew anywhere. This is really damn weird.

There's enough bits of information packed away in his words that Guardian is again silent for several moments, chewing it all over. What the hell is a "squip"?

"Super Quantum Unit...?" The implied question is left just that: implied. They'll leave it up to the newcomer to decide whether he wants to answer it or not.

"Regardless, I should inform you this place falls under several definitions of ridiculous. I wouldn't rule out anything just yet." But to answer his question... "I haven't seen any pills, though."

"Intel Processor," he finishes.

Several definitions of ridiculous. Oh, that's just dandy. He likes to follow his strict programming, thanks. Sounds like he'll have to stake it out on his own.

Ew. He hates that.

"That's incredibly disappointing!" the squip chirps. "Mind telling me what 'this place' is?"

An eyebrow raises under the helmet. To the outside observer their expression would continue to look deadpan, and no comment is forthcoming.

They're busy thinking.

"A castle," they start, stating the obvious. And then for the less obvious, "Host to a group of people taken from our respective worlds for no discernible reason." They pause. "I hope you didn't have any business left to take care of back home."

"Oh, don't worry," he says. "I've only existed for as long as you've seen me. I'm a computer. Call my little spectacle before, ah, uh, a startup."

That's encouraging.

Guardian snorts. "Well, there's a marked lack of modern technology to be found here. I hope that won't prove to be an issue for you, in terms of upkeep or otherwise."

Though it shouldn't. They remember that technology typically stays in the same state that it was brought in, so likely that will apply to the squip as well. In theory.

beep bop boop

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woops, sorry for the late reply!

no worries!

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Re: no worries!

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