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Entry tags:
Wearing someone else's face
Who: Albert in Dirk's body and you
When: Tuesday
Where: Around Vatheon
Style: Will match
Status Open
[After the initial freak out of having someone else in his body, Albert's reluctantly decided that he has to give Dirk some space. He still keeps checking up on him more often than the teen would actually like he's sure, but at least he's not literally following him around and staring over his shoulder all day and night. It's not Dirk's fault they were switched.
Even so, it's going to be a very long week.
Still, there are certain bits of the curse that aren't so terrible. Feeling real sensation through real nerves is a pleasant change, not to mention an actual heartbeat instead of the whirring of a mechanical one in his chest is wonderful. And he can wear short sleeves. It's something you never really appreciate until you lose the ability.
Granted he knows it's going away in a week but that's no reason why he can't enjoy it at least a little bit now. So here he is, lacking glasses and with his hair gelled back into a tidy, respectable style, just taking a stroll through the bubble.]
When: Tuesday
Where: Around Vatheon
Style: Will match
Status Open
[After the initial freak out of having someone else in his body, Albert's reluctantly decided that he has to give Dirk some space. He still keeps checking up on him more often than the teen would actually like he's sure, but at least he's not literally following him around and staring over his shoulder all day and night. It's not Dirk's fault they were switched.
Even so, it's going to be a very long week.
Still, there are certain bits of the curse that aren't so terrible. Feeling real sensation through real nerves is a pleasant change, not to mention an actual heartbeat instead of the whirring of a mechanical one in his chest is wonderful. And he can wear short sleeves. It's something you never really appreciate until you lose the ability.
Granted he knows it's going away in a week but that's no reason why he can't enjoy it at least a little bit now. So here he is, lacking glasses and with his hair gelled back into a tidy, respectable style, just taking a stroll through the bubble.]
no subject
[If she didn't already know that someone else was in Dirk's body, and that the body Dirk was in had a voice she was familiar with, Rose might have been confused when she saw Albert in Dirk's body walking around with a hair style that could only be described as laughable. She approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.]
Albert? It's Rose.
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Rose, it's good to see you. Or rather... well, you know what I mean.
[He chuckles a bit, though it comes out as more of a dry laugh. Apparently Dirk's throat isn't accustomed to chuckling.]
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I know exactly what you mean. This has been quite the swap. What's it like being a teenager again?
[She finds it utterly fascinating seeing different mannerisms in use with Dirk's body. Though she's sure from the outside the same could be said for her in Kanaya's body and everyone else affected by the curse.]
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Different. I was somewhat more stocky at this age.
[And better coordinated.]
And you? At least I'm the same species. I can't imagine you're having an easy time of this, though at least the trolls are humanoid.
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I suppose you could say I'm doing well enough. The fact that my current form is that of another species isn't much of a problem for me. I am well acquainted with many aspects of troll physiology as well as their history and culture having spent the last three years with them on a meteor. It's a long story that I won't go into.
[What she doesn't mention is that the fact that the body belongs to Kanaya is the problem here. Not a huge problem, but a very awkward one.]
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That experience must be helpful in this case, though I would say this is an incredibly specialized case that no one would think to plan for.
[He certainly hadn't planned on being an awkward teenage boy, but at least he had a frame of reference as well, having once been an awkward teenage boy, even if that was something akin to sixty years ago.]
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In some ways, it is quite useful. If my visions had any sort of clarity since I've arrived here, I might have been able to plan for it.
[Rose isn't sure if she told Albert before about her Seer powers, but if she hasn't, well, he's learning about them now.]
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[Usually you have to look at a picture to see your own face look utterly alien to you. Dirk's had plenty of opportunities for it to happen in person, thanks to Bro Strider, but this is something else.
He's never really considered how much the things he does every day change his appearance. At least Albert doesn't seem to have shunned his wardrobe.
Dirk himself has kept to wearing Albert's style of clothing, opting for a turtleneck, pants, and gloves. He can still tell the mechanical parts are there, it's impossible to forget, with the differences in weight and sensation they provide, but it removes some of the temptation to figure out how they work.]
You could at least wear the shades.
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[Or he could be considering getting a vest and slightly looser pants. Skinny jeans are not terribly comfortable. Of Dirk's wardrobe choices for him though, Albert approves. Everything is covered including his hands.]
Why? It's not overly sunny down in the bubble. If you need them for my eyes I don't blame you though.
[Dirk's eyes seem a bit dim to him, but in a good way where everything doesn't look like a wash of light. The very light irises on his own body don't really block out much light. They can't be damaged anymore because of his enhancements, but he can see how it would be irritating to someone not used to it.]
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I could ask you the same thing about the gloves.
[That's an exaggeration- he doesn't have something to hide the way Albert does- but it should get his point across.]
I can deal with the eyes.
[Truth be told, he's been keeping things kind of dim, but that hasn't stopped him, and he's doing just fine about the light in the bubble right now.]
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[Oh, it's like that...]
I apologize, I wasn't aware it was something you were self conscious about. I'll find some sunglasses.
[He actually looks abashed. He'd been a bit wrapped up in being human again, even if the body isn't his own.]
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[But from the blasé response, there's no harm done, apparently.]
Feel free to find some aviators or something if the pair I have is too much.
[He's willing to make that concession even if it'll look weird and he'll probably be mistaken for Dave.]
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When you're used to a great deal of your anatomy being inorganic, it's surprising what can be thought of as normal.
[It's said wryly but he gives a sardonic grin with the statement, though it fades quickly.]
I appreciate you're not... tinkering, though I am sorry for the myriad of aches and pains. I don't tend to upgrade unless forced by damage or the rigors of time.
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Touche.
[He glances down at the gun-hand, though doesn't take the glove off.]
Why don't you? I'll admit there's plenty of tech that will always seem outdated to me, but there's plenty that could be changed to make this shit more efficient, less heavy. More like an actual arm instead of a replacement. There's a lot of tricky shit around the joints that could be remade, and plenty of the plating is in my opinion poorly positioned.
[Better stop him, Albert. He could talk design all day.]
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[After so long of hearing the same from Gilmore each and every time he has to have maintenance done he's become somewhat desensitized to the arguments, though with the Professor they come from a place of wanting Albert to be able to protect himself, while with Dirk its a purely scientific endeavor, to make something better just because he can.
Patiently, Albert holds up a hand to stop Dirk from continuing.]
Because the parts already make me less than human. Any further augmentation, especially by choice, is too much like acceptance and it's something I'm not willing to accept. Do you understand?
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[That brings Dirk's ramblings to a halt, and he spares Albert a bemused look.]
Since when was being human dependent just on your body?
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Philosophically I suppose it's not. I can still feel and think for myself, of course, and free thinking and emotions are what makes humans different from animals or robots, but every time a piece of me is replaced or changed as if I was no more complicated than a car, I feel less human.
[Normally he's hardly so open with someone he's not terribly close to, but given the situation, he has a drive to make sure Dirk understands.]
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That's fair.
[He still doesn't understand, not really, but he hasn't gone through the horrible process of getting the mechanical limbs that Albert had to deal with, so it's probably for the best.]
I can stop talking about it. {He wont' stop thinking, but that's just how he is.]
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You'll keep contemplating until your curiosity is satisfied, won't you.
[He sighs, folding his arms. He's loathe to do it, but there doesn't seem to be any alternative since they're not together every second. If Dirk wants to examine, then perhaps he should allow a little, but only under supervision.]
And I suppose if you have to live in that body for awhile, it's only fair you know what could go wrong. We can go to your workshop if you're burning to have a look. I'll answer what I can.
[He raises one finger.]
But still no tinkering.
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My curiosity is never satisfied, but I can entertain myself.
[Mostly never. Still, he does look pleased at the offer, even with the "no tinkering" stipulation.]
I won't even tighten a bolt.
fast forwarding a bit? Unless you have something between here and the workshop
Very well. I'll pick up some sunglasses on our way.
[He does, a pair with somewhat large lenses that suit his purposes. He'd rather avoid the Kamina glasses, thanks.
The walk back to Dirk's workshop is fairly uneventful, though Albert grows more and more apprehensive as they go. This could be a serious mistake. Dirk actually has the know-how to use this information to make something, build some kind of death bot or... whatever. But the robots in the workshop actually serve to quell some of his fears this time. Yes Dirk could use this information, but what he has here is already far more advanced robotics than Albert's body possesses. He would need medical knowledge to try and make cyborgs, which is something Albert can't give him anyway.
And it also occurs that, even if he's loathe to change out any of his own parts, there may be something that would allow him to save Jet. The thought lights a small spark of hope back up that he'd thought died when Walter vanished.]
What do you want to know?
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[And now Dirk will be reminded of his brother every time he looks at Albert in his body. He's never really been able to objectively compare the similarities between himself and Dave, but right now, with the right pair of shades and a hairstyle he doesn't usually wear, he's struck by the observation that he and Dave really do look related.
It doesn't matter. But Albert might occasionally catch Dirk throwing glances his way, at least until they get to his workshop where there are other things to occupy his mind.]
Most of the technical questions I have can be answered by getting a good look, but you might as well start with how old it is.
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I first received my augmentations in 1965. They were worked on for some time before the technology was deemed too primitive to be successful and I was placed in a state of suspended animation until 2001 when the technology caught up. Most of the original pieces remain intact, just the grafting techniques were updated. It's why you may just feel aches instead of screaming pain where the metal parts meet flesh and bone.
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Ah.
[He'd done his best to ignore the aching, but at least it did explain why the feeling was there.]
That explains some of the tech, too. Most of this shit looks a couple hundred years old in terms of development, to me.
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A couple hundred?
[He raises an eyebrow.]
When are you from?
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2420, give a few years. It's not all that great, all things considered.
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That's quite far in the future from where I was.
[A beat.]
I wonder what year it is here, actually.
[If its later than their defeat of Black Ghost, perhaps it would be possible to simply go back to their own world after he'd been defeated and Jet would be whole and fine...]
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Best dates we have that I'm aware of all relate to how many years it's been since foreigners started showing up.
[He gestures at the bubble around them.]
Doesn't usually seem to matter, since we're cut off here.
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Perhaps it doesn't matter, if there's time travel involved in getting us here in the first place.
[He would kill to get to whatever apparatus made it possible and figure some way out to save Jet. He'll have to plan cautiously and do quite a bit of snooping, but he's going to try.
For now, though...]
Did you have any other questions about my cybernetics?
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Nothing a good look inside can't answer.
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[As much as he's not terribly comfortable with this, he's true to his word and motions for Dirk to have at, standing by to answer any questions or voice concerns if necessary.]
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So you've got Dirk's body and you nixed the shades and done his hair? Hoo hoo, it's almost like seeing him ready to go to prom or something.
[She stands awkwardly for a minute, the reality of that statement hitting her a little late-- that is, that if he were going to prom it'd be with Jake, and...bluh. She's gonna change the subject before she makes herself upset.]
I'm Jane, by the way. I just arrived, though I suppose that I've been here before, somehow. Oh, and I haven't changed bodies! Which is apparently a thing that happens here.
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This is the first I've heard of the switching too, though apparently it's happened before.
[He inclines his head politely to Jane. If he'd had a hat, he would have tipped it.]
My name is Albert. You're one of Dirk's friends, I take it?
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You know, it's weird. There's a slight difference in how you hold yourself compared to Dirk. I wonder if I would've noticed had I not known he isn't the one piloting, hoo hoo.
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[Something about this girl - the way she speaks comparatively politely, the curtsy - has Albert relaxing somewhat. She reminds him of a bygone era when people actually cared about manners. Its refreshing.]
Hmm, well the hairstyle may have given it away regardless. But no, I'm much older than Dirk so it makes sense we'd have a difference in posture. He slouches too much.
[Teenagers.]
Besides, I would have informed you if you mistook me for him. It would be dishonest otherwise.
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Are you and Dirk friends at all?
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We are, after a fashion.
[He's really not too keen on getting into that considering it leads into cyborg territory.]
He was helpful when I first arrived. He's a very intelligent boy.
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So he was already here when you came around? How long ago was that?
[She's getting the feeling that many of the people here have been here a long time.]
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[Considering Kid's own lack of familiarity with the troll's body which he presently occupies and the absence of the powers with which he is most accustomed, it probably doesn't take anyone long to realize Albert is being stalked.
Really. There's nothing subtle about a gray-skinned creature following him the last few hours, his baleful glare all but literally boring a hole into the back of his skull.
This... stranger? is seething at the very sight of him, yet unlike just about any human with a lick of sense, he continues to masochistically inflict on himself the sustained sight of the subject of his utter loathing.
His hair. He's finally styled it in an acceptably tidy manner, and Kid can't even fully appreciate it in his present state!
He's mocking him, isn't he?!
He can't take much more of this.]
How can you stand being so positively horrid without cessation?!
[Kid, it's not stalking if you start making a scene.]
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Beg your pardon?
[He'd been perfectly aware of the troll glaring at him for most of the afternoon but gone about his business regardless. He'll say this for body switching, it lets him meet some interesting people, but this troll might be more interested than he bargained for considering the terrible attempt at stalking and the tone.]