voice.

[technologist]

I'm missing a Dwarf. [ The introduction's abrupt and distracted. It's also noticeably Scottish, and there's the sound of a locker banging shut before he continues. ] Not a dwarf-dwarf, it's a— it's a drone, and it's a very, very delicate piece of technology.

He's not responding to remote commands, so either he's been damaged or someone's— [ Someone's disabled it or shut it away somehow, which isn't a very charitable accusation. Fitz corrects himself for the sake of diplomacy. ] He's gotten himself stuck somewhere. About the size of a golf ball, black, blue lights. I've attached a picture. If you've seen it, please give me a call.

[ Losing important robots, great start. The feed ends as abruptly as it started, but Fitz picks it up again about half a second later to add a quick: ]

And if you've stolen one of the roombas, I'll be needing them as well.

[ Diplomacy!! As for the promised picture, he completely forgets it until a few minutes later. So, somewhat belatedly: grumpy.jpg. ]

Comments

[technologist]

Yeah, I suppose that'd be a very long and very dull fight. [ Said with a slight smile, easy enough to hear from his good-natured tone. Also explaining Josias's own joke, but it's only because he finds it amusing. More importantly, ]

What other parts have we got access to?

[stimulations]

[Well at least they're on the same page.]

Flight crew stockpile scrap parts as they work on the shuttles, and engineering have a few stores here and there - though both mean avoiding the wrath of their department heads. Some of us also made use of the various station stops we've had to scavenge what we could find.

['Some of us' being him.]

Honestly I've been wondering if the roombas don't have their own maintenance area somewhere.

[technologist]

[ So the rest of that's very fascinating and all, but it's the last bit that officially grabs his attention. After a thoughtful beat: ]

Like some sort of roomba HQ. [ Anything's possible with future roombas, right. ] What makes you think they'd have that?

[stimulations]

Common sense, mostly. You have an entire army of the things sent out daily to sweep and clean, it stands to reason there might be some centralised location for them to return to. Even just for charging, I've never looked into how they're powered.

[technologist]

So what you're saying is nobody's ever attempted to follow them back to their source.

[ Said in that way where he's obviously thinking about doing exactly that. ]

[stimulations]

Not that I know of. [A pause.] Not yet.

[technologist]

[ Very good. ]

Well in that case, is there any chance you'd care to join me in a bit of roomba hunting?

[ Said with a grin. Still hella awkward, but the attempt at humor is obvious from his tone. ]

[stimulations]

[Awkward humour that Josias might just make even more awkward with,]

Shouldn't you introduce yourself before a proposal like that?

[technologist]

[ Oh. Yeah, that. He sounds slightly chagrined, but he's too distracted by the roomba-hunting horizon to be entirely embarrassed. ]

Fitz. It's a pleasure to meet you... ? [ Insert name here, you know the drill. ]

[stimulations]

Josias. St. John. [A beat.] And it would be a pleasure.