2013.05.29 - Nerds of a Feather

Another day, more work with the VR-setup, and Doug Ramsey could see it all coming together, little by little. He would never quite have Kitty's ability with hardware, but it didn't matter very much - as soon as he could get the hardware installed, the -software- would help him get his attempts at a mobile VR set-up. 'Internet 3.0', as he was thinking of it, was getting closer and closer to, well, being. 
Okay, so it was confined to a few rooms here and there, as well as the occasional meetings with the mysterious 'RollingThunder' and his own VR setup. But at least it was -going- somewhere. And yet, while he could keep ordering stuff online to build with, there was something about -going- to stores and getting equipments for himself. 
Not much for clothes shopping, Doug makes a beesline for the electronic superstores at the mall, and while they weren't -holographic- equipment, he had at least a fair number of circuit boards and RAIDs by the time he emerged. Pausing at the Orange Julius, Doug hesitates. When was the last time he'd even seen an Orange Julius?... Temptation, temptations... 
 
The mall. It's filled to over flowing with people, no matter what time of day it is - there are -always- people present. Shoppers busy going to and fro, getting what they need. Gawkers gazing at different items, swooning over others, and window shopping to the extreme. There are teenagers that have skipped school, hanging around the arcade, or food court, eating too much and giggling constantly. And there is always the hum of activity, the soft, annoying music through the mall speakers, and the quiet murmuring of sound that clings to any large shopping establishment.
At the Orange Julius currently, there is a small line - not too long for the afternoon hour has come and gone, and the rush for hotdogs or icy drinks isn't as demanding. Behind the counter, a bored looking youth in the typical Orange Julius uniform has just served a strawberry drink to an elderly woman who is fumbling about with her purse, idly pulling out several bits of change, as she counts it. "Sixty three... did you say three ninety nine..? Sixty four.." And she's taking her time, pulling out pennies and nickles. Her hand shakes a bit as she's doing so, and several bits of change go clanging to the floor, as the old woman lets out a frustrated. "Oh dear..."
Right /behind/ the elderly woman is a figure that really can't be missed. She's tall, standing well over six foot four, athletic, slender. And currently..? Her nimble form is bending down to collect the elderly woman's errant coins. Her voice is soft, and quiet, almost shy in its tones and quality. "Oh here miss.. let me help..."
Within the red-head's free hand is a single bag that read 'Radio Shack', within it are odds and ends of electronic devices.
The counting of coins is rather frustrating, although, as Doug discovered, he'd been fortunate enough to be in line just a few spots back. And judging by the heads suddenly craning to observe the tall redhead bending over, apparently the Gods -were- with him today. 
Rather than join in on the gawking, however, Doug steps out of line, falling in place to help gather up the coins, and handing them to the elderly woman. This, of course, was in contrast to the oh-so-helpful hands of the others in line handing them to -Caitlin-. Because, really... wouldn't -you- rather be trying to make time with the tall redhead? 
And yet, Doug doesn't -quite- geek out, as he smiles at the elderly lady, before reaching to pick up his bag. There's a pause as he notes the radio shack back as compared to his own bag, and the young mutant raises an eyebrow. "Wow, you're a hacker?" he exclaims, ignoring the appearance of the young woman in favor of -her- tech. 
 
The last of the coins are handed to the elderly woman, as Caitlin's swift to collect any handed her way with a soft tone of 'thank you' each time. As far any attention..? Caitlin either is really good at ignoring it, or honestly doesn't -see- any glances that she's been given. 
The elderly lady is soon paying and collecting her cup. She pauses before leaving to lay a hand on Caitlin's arm, and then turning to offer a smile at Doug as well. "Thank you dearies." She gets out in a gravelly tone, as the tall redhead offers a quiet smile and incline of her head. 
The next person in line shoves past Caitlin with a huff about old people, and starts ordering, leaving Caitlin to turn her attention towards the other helper. With a slight tilt of her head to one side, the redhead eyes Doug's own collection of items, an almost geeky grin spreading across her features. A giggle, lilting and soft as Caitlin lifts the bag upwards. "Guilty as charged." An almost sheepish expression replacing the grin. "From the looks of things, you're doing more than hacking though." Her eyes keenly take in the collection that can be seen, judging their use with a quick intellect.
Trying to sneak peeks into Caitlin's bag while figuring out -exactly- what she would be trying to build with such an eclectic amount of circuitry, it takes a moment for Doug to realize that the girl -giggled-. Shifting his eyes to meet Caitlin's sheepish grin, Doug offers one of his own, almost in solidarity with the whole 'god, I know, but I -have- to be a geek anyway' expression. Lifting up his bag to make it easier for her to -look-, keeping his head tilted back (this was getting to be a habit with him and tall, tall redheads, apparently), Doug can't help but release a matching short laugh. "Yeah, well, I'm trying to build a circuit system that can keep up with, uh, something I'm experimenting on at a school I teach at. You like microcircuitry?"
Somehow, because Caitlin was extruding the air of someone totally naive, innocent, and bashful, it was easy enough for Doug to relax. Why -was- she acting like a shy, bashful geek, Doug didn't know, but it made it easy to relate. 
 
With the call of 'hey lady you're next' forcing Caitlin to pause in responding, an apologetic, "Pardon me.." Is Caitlin's first comment, she half turns back to the counter, gnaws down on her lower lip, pauses - her entire body screams of wondering 'should she ask or shouldn't she'? A war of being shy with wanting to actually talk geek runs through the redhead's posture, before she finally turns back around and tilts her head to the counter. "Can I buy you something to drink, and we can continue ah.. talking. About. Ah. Would you like to?" 
Her words practically scream of 'dear God am I really asking a boy this', a nervous hand running through her shoulder length red hair with a splay of fingers and practical mauling of her bottom lip. Her shoulders hunch just a little, hand finally lowering back down as she draws towards the counter and orders a true Orange Julius, while waiting to hear Doug's response.
There's a brief pause, as Doug starts to object to having -her- pay for his drink, perhaps because it's drilled into him that the gentleman should be paying for the lady's drink. And yet, somehow, the expression on her face reads, to him, that she'd very much like to keep talking to him. 
He wasn't quite sure what the protocol for -that- sort of body language would be, and without thinking, Doug nods, a returning smile of slightly less nervousness. "Sure, if, uh, next time, you let me buy the drink?" 
Ignoring the line, Doug moves towards the counter. "I'll have what she's having," he says, tilting his head to look back up at Caitlin's face. "Will it be okay if I grab a table? Uh, want me to carry your things?" Pause. No wait. He wouldn't want to trust a stranger to hold his things, and it was all too... comfortable? "Oh uh... maybe I should just wait here for you?" he says, looking sheepish as he adds, "Sorry, I, uh, wasn't thinking there for a minute. Wouldn't want to let a stranger walk off with my bags. Uh... yeah." Good going, Doug. "Um, my name's Doug. Doug Ramsey." 
 
Awkward - that's Caitlin's fairly obvious naivety and inexperience speaking with someone her own age showing through, as Doug offers his own comments and order. His own stumbling over of words releases Caitlin's nervousness herself, leaving her to let out another quiet giggle. Not annoying in its tone, not high pitched and cheap - just soft, and melodious, true not forced, real, instead of fake. A sound that defies her six foot four, body of a model figure, for certain. 
Swiftly paying for a drink, to tilt her head towards a table near by, Caitlin's words softly speak outwards as she moves, "Next time, you can buy the drink if you insist." She offers as easily as she moves, a gliding motion of rippling muscles seen through the soft, silken fabric of her shirt. "I'm Caitlin, Caitlin Fairchild." She begins, her emerald eyes turning towards Doug, as she slides into the metal seat, placing her drink and her bag in front of her. Pulling out a few items here and there, to show Doug what she purchased, Caitlin offers a soft. "My old computer is ancient, not at all what I need, and I'm hoping I can get it to work with the newest Furious Speed that is coming out soon." A collection of hardware can be seen, "So I'm piecing together as much as I can, on my budget." With a soft sigh, Caitlin's shoving the items back into her bag as she continues. "As far as micro circuitry, as you asked earlier, I just graduated with a bachelors in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, so it's more than just a hobby. Next year I'm going for my masters, while trying to find a job." A pause, a beat, and Caitlin offers a sheepish. "Sorry it's rare that I can talk to someone about this, I'm rambling. You said you're a teacher?"
"Thank you!" Doug says, smiling. On one hand, it didn't feel quite -right- accepting a drink from a very pretty woman... no, Caitlin still somehow gave the vibes of a -girl-, and Doug responded to that far more with his ability than he did in paying attention to his eyes, which might have been, well... distracting. 
And despite having essentially skipped over a large number of years due to being dead, Doug was still fairly mature for his emotional age. 
"Oh... really?" Doug takes a seat, sipping his OJ, inspecting each item as it's shown and put away. "I'm having a hard time believing that you're not able to find someone to talk to about this, especially in computer science and electrical engineering." 
Placing his bag on the counter, tilted towards Caitlin to let her look all she wants, given the way she was trying to figure out what they were for, Doug nods as he sips his drink. "It's all right, my students give me looks too. Yeah, I'm a teacher. I, uh, spent a while doing some government work before I went back to the Xavier Institute. Wasn't the life for me, really. It's a lot more fun teaching, even if I'm the youngest teacher they have." A bashful smile, and Doug comments, "It's kind of easy to relate when you're only a few years older than they are. Although I have to chase down the underage drinkers." 
 
Not wishing to seem too curious, but still having that insane curiosity to her - Caitlin's only too eager to idly view everything that Doug was purchasing, working through what each could or should be used for, before idly offering a soft, "Interesting." 
Taking a sip of her drink, to pause and make a horrendous face, nose wrinkled upwards, eyes squinting down, face scrunching into an expression of pain, as her hand swiftly lifts to her forehead, as though that single motion could cease the 'brain freeze'. Lowering her hand after it's passed, Caitlin's offering a soft, "Sorry, drank that a little too fast." And takes the next sip a bit slower, as one is apt to do after being so foolish as to slurp down a large amount of icy cold drink faster than one should!
As Caitlin listens raptly to Doug, her mouth twists to one side, a frown creasing her features again. "You'd be surprised at the number of people I try to talk to about this, even in my own field that just seem to have no interest in it." One hand runs splayed through Caitlin's hair again dropping down to lay flat on the table.
"It must be nice." She offers, head tilting to one side. "To be able to do what you want, teaching what you know though. I thought about teaching, might yet after I graduate." 
Relaxed now, Caitlin leans back in the chair, "So - if you don't mind the question, what /are/ you using those for?"
The smile on Doug's face grows, less bashful and more enthusiatic as Caitlin works through the parts, before it freezes as Caitlin brings a hand to her head. 
A low, nervous laugh escapes his lips as Doug realizes it's the infamous ice drink, and then it's -his- turn to have a brain freeze as he suddenly realizes he's slurped down far too much of the drink in his nervousness. Pausing to rub his head, the young blonde mutant returns a sheepish smile, and a bashful laugh of his own. "Don't worry about it. Nervous energy," he says, before moving quickly. "You know, I've only been able to do this with a few people, but most of them have moved on. So... yeah. It's kinda nice to talk about computer stuff without having people's eyes sort of glaze over." 
Leaning forward just a bit, Doug grins, almost conspiratorial. "Teaching's fun. It gives me something to do while I'm trying to sort out other things, like these," he says, motioning to his bag. "They're for trying to sort out virtual reality on the net. I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to, well, take virtual reality -with- me wherever I go... or wherever a proxy goes. I tried building a VR system, and it kinda worked for MMORGs." He leans back, frowning, before admitting, abashed, "Listen, if I tell you something, you won't laugh? It was going great. I could play MMORGs with -faster- response time, like my avatar was responding to my moves, and not through a keyboard or a mouse. But, uh... trying to make it better because, uh..." He mutters something about someone beating him -everytime- recently, coupled with a username that sounds like 'RollingThunder'. 
 
With a hushed out tone of 'oh wow', Caitlin returns the conspiratorial posture, listening to Doug, and -honestly- fascinated, versus just being polite. "I wouldn't laugh." The redhead offers with a truthful bob of her head, long dark lashes lowering over emerald eyes as a serious line crosses her features. "Doug that is really /fascinating/." A twinkle enters her gaze, lighting up her features with her rapt fascination of the idea of virtual reality and MMORPGs. "So without a mouse, or keyboard or any other form of input, other than your own reaction times, you've been able to accomplish a /faster/ response?" A slight furrowing of her brows is given, as Caitlin ponders this, her lips pursing together in thought. "Yet there is someone else that is able to get just a bit faster reaction time." 
With this, Caitlin sits back in her chair, and idly slurps upon her drink, slower this time, but with still a thoughtful expression of both fascination as well as working through the problem at hand. "Either your reaction time - is just that much slower, and theirs is just that much faster, or they have some hardware that you don't, enabling them to /be/ that much faster." The problem is worked through in her head, before Caitlin offers another slightly nervous giggle. "Now you're going to have me thinking about this all night, and I can't do a thing about it, as my paycheck doesn't come until next week." A flush enters her cheeks, as Caitlin shifts a bit, "If you do find a way to beat your own score, you'll have to tell me how you did it."
"Oh... yeah. The person who did that is another one of those hackers too," Doug grimaces. "I actually -met- him, too," he says, tilting his head. "Turns out out he -does- have VR too, and it's... he's working along the same lines, kind of. A bit ahead of me too," he grimaces. "I think he's got fancier equipment." The annoyed look on his face shifts, replaced by wonderment at Caitlin's thoughtful expression. Quirking his lips, Doug begins to smile. "You're an electrical engineer, you said? How about, um..." Now Doug reddens a bit, thinking about how to do this, before his eyes falls on his OJ. "Oh, uh, I can pay you back for the drink if you'd like to come look at the..." His voice trails off, as he suddenly realizes the equipment he was playing with belonged to the -secret- X-Men room. So very secret. "Ahhhh... uh. You know, I probably should ask permission from the headmaster before showing you everything. It's his equipment I'm using, after all." Rubbing his head, Doug frowns. "... Uh... in the meantime, maybe, uh, I can help you build that computer?" 
 
Yes, Caitlin is nothing more than an Amazonian figure of a nerd-girl, there is nothing to see here, normal. Move along. An understanding smile spreads itself over Caitlin's features as she inclines her head. "Oh no. I can't thank you enough for the company. I thought I was going to have to just walk out of here, and spend another boring afternoon before I had to go back to work. Thank you." Her voice..? Is sincere. Her expression fixed in a perpetual smile, that lights up her features. 
At the offer, Caitlin responds without really thinking too much about it. "Oh, thank you but I enjoy the opportunity to get in to the workings and see if I can make them better." A pause, before Caitlin offers a quick. "But.. there's this seminar about 'the future of computers' that is going on over the weekend. One of those 'this is what we know and this is what we think' kind of deals at the University - would.. I mean. It's free to any that want to go, and I'd love to hear your opinion on the speakers." 
Her head tilts to one side, as her words fall off, leaving Caitlin to offer a quiet expression of, 'So would you like to go'?
Amazon? There was an amazon? There was a geek girl, one that Doug found easy enough to deal with, simply because she -was- talking in a language that he understood well enough, especially since she was being straightforward and honest. Something that, with Doug's facility with language, was refreshingly --relaxing- to deal with. 
"Oh yeah," Doug grins, nodding in understanding at the whole 'got to do this myself'. "Thanks for the Orange Julius, and the company, I really enjoyed it," Doug grins, that smile that has grown entirely too comfortable. Less shy and bashful, more relaxed. 
Pausing to consider the seminar, Doug thinks. "Well, I was thinking of working on the VR and the MMORG and..." he begins, before glancing back up at Caitlin, considering. Wait, wait... what -was- he thinking? "I'd love to go," he says, a grin crossing his face. Mama Ramsey didn't raise a fool. 
 
"Great!" Caitlin offers with a bright and chipper smile, moving her hand to the small wallet that is located in her pocket, there the small leather item is removed, a card emerges and is then handed towards Doug, before the wallet disappears back into the black slacks she wears. 
The card is simple enough, computer stock, printed from Caitlin's own computer - it simply reads: 
 Caitlin Fairchild
 Online Banking Support - Wells Fargo
 fairchild@wellsfargo.org
 <555> 555-5555
"I guess I should get going before I'm late." Caitlin offers as she rises upwards, collecting her cup and bag as she goes. "It was really nice talking to you, Doug. Good luck with your VR." A hand is extended towards Doug, nails are chopped right down to nearly the skin, not a single bit of work has been done on them. 
Caitlin's bright smile is met with a comfortable grin, as Doug takes the card, standing up. There's a quick read, followed by Doug quickly pulling out his own smartphone. "The phone number textable?" he asks. If affirmative, Caitlin would shortly get a text from Doug's own phone number, giving her something to keep instantly. That way, at least, she'd know Doug was interested enough to make sure to call, rather than just take the card politely. 
"Ok, there," Doug grins, before he reaches out and shakes Caitlin's hand. "Good luck with work. Hey, if I get permission, I'll show you sometimes." Starting with, well, finding a -public- place to use the VR system rather than the Danger Room... because, really, what was Doug -thinking-? 
... well, he sorta was in the middle of a geek-exchange, but that still was inexcusable. 
"Good luck with work!" Doug repeats, unthinkingly, distracted. Wow, she bites her nails. That's... 
That's somehow so inexpressibly -cute- that Doug might actually have to invent a new language to comment.
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