19671/Civilization... Pfft!

Civilization... Pfft!
Date of Scene:	15 December 2024
Location:	Penthouse - Kord Co
Synopsis:	Conan... the thespian!
Cast of Characters:	Ted Kord, Conan, Audra Meridian

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Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord says to the bots, once again, "Don't bother Conan unless he's asking for something. He thinks this is all magic I believe. He doesn't like magic. Go make us some breakfast. Uhmmm see what Superman gets for reakfast at the Hall of Justice. Get about three times that. Strong coffee and tea. Bingo... any luck finding images of swords... oh wow you been busy. Ok, he'll pick one I guess or let the One Eyed GGuy make him a sword. Go prep the fabricator for metal. Me? I'll have a roll with butter and coffee."

Ted actually had a lot of clothes to offer Conan. Booster Gold left his things behind and he was close size wise. In fact Ted had offered Conan the room Booster occupied because frankly the slim possibility of Booster returning and climbing in bed with the Cimmerian was too funny to pass up.

Conan has posed:
Spending the night in Ted's tower was luxurious! The barbarian hadn't had a more pleasurable stay in quite some time, and was making the most of it. After his overnight guest, one of the personal assistants at Kord's company, sneaks out of Conan's room to get ready for work, the barbarian prepares for his day.

Conan takes his time getting ready, trying to figure out what to wear after enjoying a long, hot shower. When he's done deciding he ends up with a black t-shirt, blue jeans, black boots and his leather sword belt. He almost looks like a regular guy. If it weren't for the belt he could be any world class bodybuilder you'd see on the street. He manages to track down the kitchen by scent and greets Ted with a deep nod, "Hail Beetle, I have found your hospitality to be more than sufficient! Should you need aid in defeating your enemies know that Conan of Cimmeria will aid you."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord is about to reply when he's distracted by the bots beeping. He turns in time to see not just any PA but HIS pride and joy, Melissa sneaking to the elevator, shoes in hands, hair down.

"Melissa! For fuck's sake!" It's more surprise than anger. The elevator doors open and Melissa scurries in.

"You better not be late for work!"

"I took a personal day. G'bye Co-Co," a kiss is blown as the doors shut.

"Three years and nothing..." He looks up at Conan. "One night and bam!" He shrugs. "Breakfast is on its way up. Sit down and I'll get you some coffee... or are you a tea drinker?" Like that a small bot is at Ted's elbow with two steaming mugs. One is held out to Conan.

Conan has posed:
"Farewell, Melissa," Conan replies to his new acquaintance with a smile and a nod, watching as she slips into the elevator. He returns his attention to Ted and says, "I will try coffee. There are entire shops dedicated to it throughout this city. I entered one, but the language spoken there was strange to me and I received some pink thing! It was unlike anything I'd ever had and as sweet as nectar!"

Taking the drink from the bot the barbarian tells the metal contraption, "My thanks, steel creature." He lifts it towards his face and inhales deeply though his nose to get the scent, "Yes! This is that wonderful smell." With a glance at the robot Conan will speak to Ted, "I do not know how to feel about these creatures. They are metal, yet they move like they are alive. Are they alive?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord takes his coffee black. Engineering habit formed over many all nighters. He sits down. This is a lengthy explanation. "There is a lot of disagreement on that subject. They are made of metal and minerals. So people say that they are not alive. Though some people say we are merely carbon machines. There is more argument over whether they are aware. I can't speak for others but... mine start out simply following my instructions and then... something happens. They wake up. I can't order them any longer. But I can teach them and they do what I ask. Sometimes they know what I'm going to ask befo..." The bot that brought the coffee returns with a donut on a plate. It is presented to Conan.

"We have donuts? Get the box, please. This one is Bongo by the way. Bongo likes to be called 'she'."

Audra Meridian has posed:
One lap, two laps, three laps around the city. Interspaced with various practice aerobatics and even an intentional misfire to test the new control microprocessors. Which functioned almost perfectly, booting up the pair of spare secondary arrays much faster than before and giving the main ion thrusters the needed time to recalibrate and fire up again. While there was no garuntee there wouldn't still be crashes in her future, this went a long way to minimize how hazardous such an situation will be.

With testing done she descended down towards Kord's penthouse. This time landing on the platform instead of taking an accidental dive in the pool of course. The ion arrays power down and retract into their housing within her backpack, and she walks over to knock lightly on the door. For the sake of being polite, and not freaking out any of the robots that might have security responses she's not aware of.

Conan has posed:
"Conan," the barbarian says to Bongo when she brings him a donut. "Many thanks," he tells her as he takes the donut plate and sets it front of himself. Looking between the treat and the coffee, the big man starts with his drink first, taking a pretty sizeable gulp. His face changes as he swallows the drink, features wrinkling, "You like this? It is bitter." He sets the mug down. "Have you cider or mead? Something to drink as we dine?"

The Cimmerian nods to Ted once again, "They want to be here, then? Because I would not dine with a slaver unless planning murder."

As there's a knock on the door the ancient warrior turns to look, getting to his feet and moving in that direction, "We are high above the Earth, Beetle! Why do so many fly when dragons soar amongst your clouds? Have you no fear of them? I would fly with you and bring them down!"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord blinks. He actually found something too strong for the big guy. "The dragons are also machines, carrying people around. I have a flying machine in fact. I'll give you ride in it if you like. Oh, thank you Conan. It's probably my friend, yes, it's Windrose!" He takes a donut from Bongo and is munching on it. His mouth full he stands and waves to Audra with the donut.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord says, "Slaver? Me? Good grief no. I look after them and they look after me. I won't even deal with companies that abuse their workers. Uhm some people add sugar and milk to the coffee. Most do. I'm a little weird. I like it straight.""

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian is briefly surprised when the door is opened by someone other than Ted or his robots. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know you had company. Hello there." She nods to Conan as she steps through the door when Ted waves to her, then gives the other man a more thoroughly lookover. Whistles a little. That's a lot of muscle and scars, even compared to some of the other superheroes she's seen. "You're a big drink of water aren't you."

Then turns her attention back to Ted. "I was just testing out the modifications with the microprocessors you gave me. Cut the reboot time down to a third of what it was, and the emergency stabilizers trigger almost instantly now."

Conan has posed:
"I care not for those who abuse those subservient to them," Conan seems pleased with Ted's response to his statement. "What size crew is required and how is it armed?" His gaze, just for a moment, seems to be focused on something in the distance. Memories. "I once sailed aboard the Tigress, a captain beside my queen! The Black Coast quaked at the sound of our names! I would take to the sky someday to seek a new fortune there as I once did upon the water."

As for the coffee, the Cimmerian eyes Ted once more.

Then Audra gets his attention once more, "Windrose. I know not of what water you speak, but call me Conan." A hint of a smile appears, "If you are friends with Ted then you are in fine company! He is a strange warrior, but his hospitality is second to none."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord faceplants gently when Audra whistles at Conan. He lets out a long sigh, moving his donut out of the way. His voice is a little muffled but intelligible. "Conan, try a spoonful of sugar in the coffee. Audra... the delay can be shortened it's probably the different programming languages. I'll try to track it down. Probably just a line of code to switch. If Doug was still working for me he'd get it in a minute." He steels himself and sits back up.

"I was explaining to Conan I don't kill people, but leave it to our courts. Oh, hey, here's Bingo with a surprise." True enough, one of the larger bots approached with a broadsword carried in its hands. The bot deliberately carries it with one hand on the hilt, the other on the blade near the point.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian almost goes to explain then mentally stops herself. If he didn't know that idiom he probably wouldn't grasp any similar other sayings she could use. Especially when he comments on odd sounding sailing ventures and calls Ted a 'strange warrior'... which does kind of some up a lot of heroes. So he's clearly not from around here, as it were. Instead she nods again. "A pleasure, Conan. Yeah, we let the Justice System to its job. Sometimes they just need the help bringing in the people that can do more than your common criminal."

"He's a friend and fellow scientist; suggested some modifications to my flight gear since we've independantly developed similar technologies." And he hasn't seen what some of her other tech can do yet, either. She takes a few steps back from Conan as Bingo approaches with the large sword. A brow raises a bit at it but no one is really going to see the expression behind her goggles. "That looks like the kind of sword I've seen some of the Themyscirans training with at their embassy."

Then she turns her attention to one of the robots not toting around large sharp objects. "Hey if one of you could grab me a cup of that coffee I'd appreciate it."

Conan has posed:
"You are strange for many reasons, Beetle," Conan assures his new buddy with a little nod. It's not meant as an insult, more of just a general statement. Then there's the surprise. The barbarian watches the robot with the sword closely for a moment before his attention is fixed on the blade. With an intrigued look on his face he heads to accept the weapon, telling Bingo, "My thanks."

Conan starts to examine the blade, the hilt, the crossguard. He nods a few times as he moves it through the air, feeling the weight and balance. "This is a fine weapon! Lighter than expected, some flex to the steel in the blade to prevent it from being brittle. This steel! I could cleave a giant in twain!"

As excited as he seems by the sword, he keeps glancing at Audra, "Yes? I should go there to see their ways of warfare."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord snickers as the bot gets the hell out of Dodge. He admires Conan's technique. He mainly uses his fists and feet and sometimes a shield. "Hey... maybe you could give me some pointers? I use a buckler mostly. I'm sure you could show me some tricks."

"Hmmm. Do you have Amazons in your time? Or Atlanteans? They might have some idea when you're from or even how to get you back there. I don't think you'll find this time much fun. We're too civilized. You might also need to return to the past to do some historical stuff. Though we have no history from your Age, Whatever you call it?"

"The sword is too light because I can remake it with a denser core. We tested the edge on a couple bricks with no problem. In fact... here. I made an extendable baton when you don't want to kill people." Ted take a cylinder from his back pocket and snaps it out. He hands it to the big man.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian accepts the mug of coffee brought to her, mixing in a bit of sugar. She can drink it straight, but that's only when she's on the road and needs the full kick of caffeine and warmth rather than flavor. "Thank you... Bongo, right? I'm still learning who's who." But she gets a positive response so apparently she got the right name. Sips a bit, watching the two men.

It's when 'your time' and 'when you're from' are said that things finally click into place. "Ooooo. This is a lost in the time stream situation then?"

Apparently time travel is not the strangest thing Audra's had to deal with in her comparitively short hero career. Or bother her much. She's the kind of scientist that keeps an open mind about things that aren't entirely within the normal stretch of theories and logic.

"Yeah. Good idea. That sword will have it's uses, but having something that won't stand out so much as a backup is a good idea too." Another sip of her coffee.

Conan has posed:
"I will teach you what you want to know, Ted," the barbarian says as he slows down, holding the blade and hilt and looking over the sword again. "Extra weight is not necessary for a sword to cut well if the blade is sharp. The curved blade I borrowed from the museum is quite light, but now that I have cleaned and sharpened it it will be a fine weapon."

"Atlantis, now that I know!" The ancient wanderer seems pleased to actually have heard of something from this strange land. "My time is known as the Hyborean Age. Atlantis sank long before my birth, though I have visited the ruins of cities from its time."

Setting the sword down, Conan reaches for the baton to look that over as well, "This is meant to stun one's foes? And it becomes small, as well? This will do well. With this I can cripple without killing quite easily."

Windrose gets a smile, "I know not whether this be a strange time or a strange place, only that I was a stranger here to all but Red Sonja!"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord wonders for a moment a redsonya is. He saves his questions for later. At that moment his phone rings and he pulls it from his pocket, excusing himself.

"Pete! How goes the commercial? I see. You're still looking for a caveman to demonstrate my phone? That's been done ya moron! We need a... Pete. Send everyone home. I need to make some arrangements and I'll call you back."

Ted regards Conan with a look that rivals a Zingaran fence mulling over jewels for a moment.

"Conan, do you have any experience acting?"

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian mmhmms and nods her head. "I imagine you'd need a dedicated historian or archeologist to know about that old of a time period, but you found someone. And people to help you. That's good." She tilts her head as Ted excuses himself to answer his phone. Probably normal for someone that owns his own entire industrial operation.

"But yeah. The Themyscerians, or Amazons as they've also been called, have an embassy here in New York. That has an arena and they do a fair number of training events. You'd at least be able to find someone capable to handle sparring against you if nothing else."

Then puts a palm to her face as Ted returns and asks Conan if he knows how to act. "Oh boy..."

Conan has posed:
"I have gone by other names than Conan, and held other professions than sellsword," Conan says to Ted in a longwinded reply to his question about acting. "I see much value in taking enemies unaware. Do we mean to deceive so that we may bring them to justice? I sought answers from the mayor at city hall about working as one of the city heroes, but found only more questions before spilt blood and had my own shed."

"Many people here have shown themselves to be helpful, especially for the civilized. Others have attempted to rob me, to attack a strange woman as a mob, I was shot with some manner of machine that fires metal projectiles, and I was attacked by a man who formed stone armor on his skin!" He lets out a deep sigh, "I would enjoy a good fight! I must not exert myself much right now, lest my wounds open again, but I shall pay a visit to the Amazons."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord considers his reply. Carefully. "It's a theatrical production called a commercial I am arranging to sell one of the machines I make. It's for a phone like this. It lets people talk at a distance. I need a hero of your stature to make it attractive to buyers. I can pay you well for your acting and, it won't really be acting for you." Ted steps over to Conan and puts his arm on his shoulders, or tries. He gets a far away look in his eyes. "Picture this, you stride through a room of fallen foes. Maybe stab a small dragon. Treasure at your feet... and you get a phone message which you stop to take. And you're suddenly all cordia because it's ME... or Melissa if I can get her to be productive again."

Audra Meridian has posed:
"Sounds about right for an introduction to New York. Never a dull moment most days." Audra shakes her head a little. "I'd say I feel sorry for whoever was dumb enough to try and rob you, but they probably deserved what they got for it."

She finishes off her coffee, handing the mug back to Bongo to return to the kitchen. "You know, that sounds pretty slick for a commercial. Like the kind of fancy ones you'd see during the Super Bowl." Probably better than whatever 'caveman' ripoff the guy Ted was talking to was planning.

Conan has posed:
Conan doesn't move when his new pal puts an arm on him, seemingly somewhat indifferent to the action. As he hears the plan he will nod slightly, "I know of phones." He produces a rectangular one from his pocket. "They contain the knowledge of this land inside them and through some science creation known as cellular can let you communicate with other phone users." Once he hears the proposition in full he shrugs, "I shall help, Beetle. Pirate, thief, mercenary, actor." A great mirth overcomes the big man and he lets out a loud laugh, "There is no challenge I cannot conquer, my friends! We shall put on your play and sell your machine."

"What is this Super Bowl? Is has a stage for the performance?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord says, "It's a sporting event. It's not being run right now. We'll get by. Hmmm. Pirate, thief, mercenary, actor... sounds like you have all the training to become a businessman! Bwahahaha! I'd say politician too, but... you're too honest." He slaps Conan on the back. He hursts his hand a little. Then Bongo flies up with a bottle of mead.

"Where the hell did you get that from?" She proffers it to the Barbarian, and works at the cork.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian joins in with a bit of laughter of her own. "Too honest to be in politics, that's not a bad thing." That or Conan would punch someone. Which honestly a lot of politicians could probably use too. But it wouldn't be worth the warrior getting himself in trouble over. "Besides, making some money for yourself will help with however long you end up being in our time."