research for this post lead me to find that all-terrain wheelchairs exist, and they are beautiful

[planetary_bonds]

Who: Yusei Fudo (planetary_bonds) & you!
What: guess who's forbidden from working on projects inside the house
When: a few days after SIDEQUESTMAGEDDON
Where: outside his house, Residential District
Warning(s): yusei being a grubby greasemonkey


[After their...heated discussion regarding Yusei's projects taking up too much space in the house and Sanzo taking things up in his own hands...in several ways...Yusei's finally taken the hint and has started working on projects outside the house.

Seeing him work, it's pretty obvious why. Once the guy actually gets started on something, it takes someone getting into his face to distract him, and there's all sorts of odds and ends scattered at his feet. Looks like he's used his payments from the various quests to get himself a set of proper tools, too, if the small toolbox at his feet means anything.

He seems to have multiple projects going on, as well. The first is a steam engine that apparently was taken from a junked car, and tweaking it seems to be the more dangerous of the two. In fact, he frequently seems to be forcing the thing to emit copious amounts of hot steam in his efforts to figure it out, and such a thing happens just around the time someone might come around to take a look.]

Gh-! Ah... [He turns and blinks at the new arrival, red-faced from the steam and somehow visibly sheepish despite his stoic demeanor.] Sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble...

[Visible next to him and the misbehaving engine is the beginnings of a bike frame, an electric motor used for a fridge, and...some kind of chair. It looks like it's meant to be a wheelchair, but Yusei, what is that. That's goofy looking. And are those...treads next to it on the floor? Where did you even get treads? Don't tell them you're going to put those on the chair, Yusei? That's silly. Stop that.]

Comments

[kissintime]

[ Another day, another hunting job done. This one got especially hairy though, blood splattered on her clothes, bruises on her arms, looking completely wrecked. She's on the way home for a hot shower and to sleep for half a day, and comes across Yusei working on... a wheelchair? She's stop to stare long enough that he notices her. ]

Huh. Oh, uh, don't apologize? Just... wondering what the hell you're doing to that wheelchair.

[planetary_bonds]

The...

[Yusei turns to look at the chair, then turns back and shrugs.]

It's a project I'm working on for someone. They wondered if it was possible to have an electric wheelchair like they did in their home world.

[But seriously, you look like a mess. Worse than Yusei on a bad garage day.]

But are you alright?

[kissintime]

... Man you think the Orbiters would like, fix their legs for them. They got all sorts of crazy sci-fi shit up there, it can't be impossible. [Not that she knows jack about medicine or science. That said--] I'm fine. Why you ask?

[She says... clothes bloodied and body tattered.]

[planetary_bonds]

Hm...you think they would, wouldn't they? If they have the power to do everything else they've done...

[He shrugs. He's not unused to the powers that be denying necessary care, so it's up to him to just make use of what they do have to get by.]

You look injured. Did something happen? [A fight? It can't be that bad if she's walking around, but still...]

[kissintime]

Oh -- Oh, this! [She looks down at her clothes, only now getting just how much blood got on her, and laughs lightly.] No, I'm back from a hunting job. It was a pretty nasty one, roughed me up bad. Well, just another day in the life when you're trying to make ends meat.

[And collect as much silver as possible without going to some of the other awful jobs (aka the guard)]

[planetary_bonds]

[Yusei sighs sympathetically. While he's not good at the hunting thing, he understands about just making ends meat meet from day to day. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.]

I'm assuming that's not all of your blood then. [He hopes.] The compensation you're getting, I hope it's worth it?

[kissintime]

Better than working for the guard, or those two wackos. Not to mention the lady looking for prostitutes. [She shrugs, not at all endeared to the options they were given. Better this way. Not easy, and sometimes she's roughed up bad, but it's a living.] You just do this for work or did you sign up with one of 'em?

[axiomed]

[ Charles wheels up with a bright smile on his face. If he was troubled, he certainly doesn't show it at all. ]

Not at all. How's it going?

[planetary_bonds]

Oh...Charles.

[Yusei wipes some sweat and soot off his face at the question, shrugging.]

Not bad. As you can see, I've been keeping busy. I haven't forgotten about your request, though.

[axiomed]

I didn't think you had.

[ He glances at the . . . assemblage before them before asking politely. ]

What else are you working on?

[planetary_bonds]

[Look, Charles, when that "assemblage" is finished, it's gonna be the most bitchin' chair you've ever seen. Watch.]

A motorbike. It's something I'm used to having back home.

[And if an astute person looks at the beginnings of that wheelchair, vehicles seem to be his specialty.]

[axiomed]

[ He believes in you. ]

Oh? Was it the most convenient method of transportation in your world?

[ Motorbikes aren't new, but they aren't seen a lot. Charles mainly kept cars at the mansion. ]

[planetary_bonds]

In some ways...

[He smiles wanly.]

It was as much of a hobby as it was a necessity, in a way. They're used in a popular sport back home.

[beatupgrass]

So this is what you're getting up to.

[The passer-by that actually got a face full of Yusei's project has just walked off, leaving Rocket leaning against the side of a building looking smug as anything.]

I mean points for varying your projects a little bit, I guess, but what kind of engines use steam?

[planetary_bonds]

[Hello there, smug raccoon rival. Yusei still hasn't forgiven Sanzo for loading all his scrap off on you, you know that? Not that he's actually visibly showing that grudge these days.

You get a shrug as a greeting.]

Apparently, the vehicles here do. Since automotives are my specialty, I figured it couldn't hurt to learn more about them.

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket makes a face.] Probably not. You might be able to make it big improving this shit for 'em.

[IS THAT ROCKET GIVING HIS RIVAL SINCERE ADVICE? ...don't get excited. It's only because he thinks that kind of work is beneath him.]

After that ordeal with the frickin' Wyver carriage, I figured I better get started makin' weapons.

[For his own personal use. He has a few inventions for the purpose of actually selling, but he's hoping to keep building up to it.]

[planetary_bonds]

Improving, repairing...that's the idea, at least. It'll get me some form of steady income, at least.

[Hey. It's good advice. But now you've told him something interesting.]

Wyver...carriage? What happened?

[beatupgrass]

Aw man. This shady dude in the Red Light District offered Quill 600 silver to hijack this carriage carrying weapons into the city. According to him, it was gonna supply a terrorist attack, which, honestly, who knows for sure, right? But if I'm gonna be in the middle of a pissing contest between Wyver and Olympia, I better have my own back-up.

[This might be alarming for anyone else, but for Rocket, it's... pretty much a Tuesday. And 600 silver in the bank.]

[planetary_bonds]

[Wait...what.]

A terrorist attack. [His voice is level, but...the surprise in his tone is fairly obvious.] You're serious?

me marching in late

[coolerjunpei]

[Yusei might be hard at work, but Junpei... isn't. Is he ever? Does he even have a steady day job, yet? He doesn't, but that's beside the point. The point is that he's out running an errand or something, and of course he can't help but wander over to watch Yusei work on this... stuff, after their last conversation.

You know, the one about getting a garage. Which he should do, now that he's taken his business out into the literal street. Junpei isn't confused by the wheelchair, at least - it's weird, but Yusei fixed up Snake's super robot arm, so... yeah, sure. Seems fine.

And he has a stupid joke for it, get ready:] That's one hell of a treadmill.

[planetary_bonds]

[Hello, Junpei. How have you been?

By this point, Yusei's gotten used enough to his snarky demeanor to expect a one-liner like this, so he just greets Junpei with his usual resting bitchface. He stares just long enough to acknowledge the greeting, then nods.]

Mmm. You want to give it a try?

[He's joking, but it sure doesn't sound like it. Hell, give it a whirl, he needs to make sure the thing actually cycles properly before he tries putting a motor on it.]

[coolerjunpei]

[That's the exact level of disinterested bitchface he expects from Yusei now, so it's practically in the terms of their friendship. It's fine.

But what the hell?]

Wait, for real? I don't know if I have the, uh, arm power...

[But he's not saying no... you know... just in case.]

[planetary_bonds]

It's meant to be an electric wheelchair.

[Encouraging...smile??? Half smile??? Um.]

Just needs enough elbow grease to see if the thing will actually move properly before I put the motor on.

[coolerjunpei]

You really want me to test drive your treadwheels?

[By the way, that's what it's called now. Junpei looks at it, arms folded, seriously considering how much he trusts the idea of a wheelchair with a motor on it. Not because he doesn't know about electric wheelchairs - please - but... uh... Yusei....

His gaze moves to the literal steam engine sitting there.]

Not that motor, I hope.

[planetary_bonds]

[As if on cue, the motor emits another batch of hot steam with a high-pitched fweeeeeeeeee. Yusei doesn't even flinch this time, instead just staring directly at the motor until it calms down, his face indicating that he's apparently deep in thought.]

...Interesting idea. It could work.

[He's joking. Really.




...I mean, he probably is.


...Right?]