Author Topic: The First Step  (Read 534 times)

Offline Jazz

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2014, 12:21:48 am »
Jazz nods in thanks to Haywire as he helps pull her out of the pile of gadgets, and gives a giggle at his applause. She makes a shallow mock bow and then takes a moment to stretch out her limbs. "Yeah, I'm alright. Not the worst spill I've had." She looks down at the little robot in her hooves when Hay moves to stick his head into the pile of debris. She gives a muttered "Whoops." at the revelation that the device is not still holding the exoskeleton, though she still doesn't release it from her hold. She watches the little green stallion pull the exoskeleton out to lay between the three of them. "She's not very big, probably about the same size you are." She taps her hoof against the peanutbot a few times, pausing to think. "I can find a picture to bring in, no problem. Do you think you'll be able to do it off just that? I'd like it to be a surprise if possible..." She glances down at the exoskeleton, a bit unsure just what kinds of things you could fit into a set of legs. "I didn't really consider anything other than just getting the legs, and I'm not sure if she'd really like any of that stuff..." Jazz trails off, looking over toward Star when she starts talking over Hay's rambling. "I figured this wouldn't be cheap. As for a budget... I'm really not sure. I should be able to pay for quite a bit, but do you have any idea how much it might end up being?"

Offline Haywire

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2015, 01:24:03 pm »
"Aww," Haywire whined, blowing a short raspberry when Jazz didn't seem to be all for his idea to soup up the legs with fancy gadgets and attachments. He got over it pretty quick though as is his returning grin soon showed, his tale almost wagging in excitement over the new project. However, this was soon overtaken by an utterly lost expression when the subject of proper payment for his work came up.

"Uhh..." Was all he could manage after a couple of blank blinks, Haywire not knowing what or how to add to the discussion now that it was moving on to a more serious and less fun topic. judging it's cost would require mathing up what all the parts would cost... and that would mean trying to figure out what the parts he'd need to use would be and what they were worth before starting... Which wasn't really how he went about inventing since it often required him to go through all kinds of the stuff he had laying around and... stuff.

Bubo on the other hand was quick to contribute, or at least leave to do so as he lifted a wing as if to ask for a moment before flapping his wings and carrying himself off of his spot atop Hay's head and off towards some corner of the workshop where, almost right after he vanished behind a pile of scrap, some vigorous clicking could be heard.

Haywire, now one metal bird lighter, just gave another lost glance between those present as he wondered what he should say or do. Thankfully the workshop decided for him.

Seconds later a loud bang was heard a short distance away followed by an erratic crackling and finally what could be guessed was a slide whistle being put through trials. Something whirred to life, and from where the ponies were they could just make out what appeared to be bits and pieces of machinery bobbing in and out of site from just over one of the taller scrap piles beside them. Happy for the distraction, and feeling he would be no help in this anyway, Haywire took off in a trot.

"I got it!" the pony assured as he headed off to deal with the ruckus, "Be back in a sec!" It took moments for him to take his own leave of the mares, though they weren't alone for long since Bubo, now holding the corner of a long scroll that dangled beneath him. He flew in a small circle when he arrived, but when it became clear Haywire had been needed elsewhere he decided to land on Star's shoulder instead. He figured that she did seem the better candidate for handling this part of the business anyway. No offense meant towards his creator of course, but with how easily distracted he could become deciding on a budget didn't really fit into his area of expertise.

Once landed Bubo offered the scroll to Star for her to look over, it being a list of possible materials that could be used to start the project based on his predictions when it came to Haywire's unpredictability. Thankfully Star's recent efforts to try and better organize the workshop had allowed Bubo a chance to actually tag along and take a better look at what they had buried in the multiple messes surrounding them, and while he couldn't be entirely sure of what Haywire would gravitate towards for the work ahead of him, it did let him narrow down his suspicions.

Even still, the list covered most everything between a toaster and an old scrapped "graviton" project that Bubo wouldn't comment on if pressed.

The metal bird's estimates told that depending on the quality of the legs Jazz would want for her wife, and how successful both he and Star were in keeping Haywire to stick to the budget, the price of the initial prototype would vary considerably between a cheap but unreliable model to more expensive but comfortable ones ranging in price of hundreds of bits with the most expensive being quite possibly over half a grand if she wanted something super fancy right of the bat. The list didn't cover further expenses for improved models, repairs, maintenance, rebuilds and adjustments, but it would be safe to assume that prices would be similarly diverse depending on what Jazz wanted them to work with. Really, and he doubted he needed to inform Star of this, but it was up to Jazz.

Either way, bubo left the negotiating and what not in Star's hooves. To him, any money would be better than the almost no money the shop currently had to it's name, and his lack of a proper voice box made communicating with ponies other than the one that built him pretty impossible. She, as he concluded earlier, seemed the best choice fo rit anyway.

Meanwhile, giggling could be heard as, should they look, Haywire could now be seen bobbing in and out of sight along side the bits of machinery from earlier as his attempts to settle the disturbance nearby was... Going well?
Couldn't fail!!!

Offline Star Catcher

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2015, 08:47:00 am »
Star's gaze fell a bit when Jazz denied having any kind of budget to work with. That'd make things a little bit more complicated, since she had no idea what parts would be used, or how long it would take Haywire to complete... As the mare asked Star what she thought the whole thing might end up being, she nervously and hesitantly bit her lip as she tried to conjure up a rough estimate. Thankfully, she didn't have to think very long; her gaze was diverted when she noticed Bubo raise his wing. She rose a brow inquisitively at the metal bird as if attempting vainly to encourage it to elaborate, despite it lacking vocal cords.

Moments later, when Bubo had disappeared into the workshop, Star jumped as things seemed to spring to life--first when the loud bang sounded off, then again when things whirred to life, though the second was much less pronounced. Unsure of what was going on, she simply glanced uncertainly to Jazz before shrugging in defeat and murmuring, "Guess we'll see" to the mare beside her when Hay ran off.

She stood awkwardly for the few moments between Hay's departure and Bubo's arrival, then offered a relieved and welcoming smile to the bird when he landed on Star's shoulder. She then took the scroll when Bubo offered it to her and waved Jazz to her side for the mare to join her in taking a look. With number projections in front of her, she felt like she had a much better grasp on the situation, and a clearer path for the way forward.

"So... It looks like our list here goes from cheapest to most expensive... Judging by the parts and mechanisms involved, the quality goes along with the price. So... basically you'd get what you paid for. I can't imagine with something as important as this, you'd want something of that quality, and you mentioned you can pay quite a bit, so..." she drew out as she folded the scroll so that the low-end options were out of sight, the paper now only displaying price ranges at or above the 250 bit mark. "This looks like it starts from the mid-way mark, to the luxury range. As we go higher though, please keep in mind that future repairs and maintenance will reflect its build cost.

"But, on the other hoof... We can also make the legs more aesthetically pleasing the more expensive we go. Incorporate some sort of... style, or design around whatever mechanics Haywire puts into the legs. If you can't think of anything, I'm sure I might be able to look into a few things for ideas and draw something up for you to approve later.

"As for the payment itself, no matter what route we go, the money doesn't have to be all paid up front. We could put a down payment on it, and then have you pay some amount we'll decide on later every month. So... With all of that in mind, do you see anything here that you think could fit what you wanted for her?"

Offline Jazz

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2015, 02:21:38 pm »
Jazz watches Bubo fly off somewhere, curious as to what the little machine was doing. Seems to be something important, whatever it is. She looks over at Hay, wondering if he has anything to say about the price, but the little stallion just looks a bit lost. Jazz does jump a little bit herself when some machine somewhere suddenly springs to life, though it's just a slight startle. She notices that Star doesn't seem very comfortable with whatever is going on, and frowns slightly as Hay runs off. "Does this kind of stuff happen often?" She asks, trying to get a decent look at whatever was happening past the pile of gadgets, though she really can't see much of anything. She gives up after a few more moments when Bubo returns carrying a sheet of paper, and steps in when Star motions her closer to take a look. Most of the list was complete nonsense to her, the names of all the bits and pieces that might be used for construction not really meaning anything to the white unicorn. The prices catch her eye though, and even as Star is explaining she begins making some mental math about what she's able to pay for. She could likely do the 250 bit one just out of savings, but above that she may indeed have to take up the offer of monthly payment. She supposes she could borrow some money from her parents if she really needs too, though Jazz would really prefer not to. Thyme would likely be fine with them even at the most basic as long as they even kind of function properly, but... Jazz would really like to get the best thing she could. The mare bites her lip as she looks over the listed prices. The highest prices on the list were likely too much to justify, even if she could get the money for it. Most likely she'd be looking at something in the 300 to 400 range. "I think..." Jazz says, after a couple more moments of thought. "I could go as high as 400. I wish I could do more but I'm not made of money..."

Offline Haywire

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2015, 11:10:22 am »
A clattering was heard nearby just before bits and pieces of old machinery were being tossed about left and right in the wake of the small inventor who'd somehow managed to be launched from whatever had been keeping him airborne to the peak of the closest collection of junk. There he tumbled head over tail downwards until finally reaching the ground and, by some unexplainable magic, stopping his momentum in the blink of an eye so as to plant himself in a sitting position next to the mares and bird.

"Ice skates!" he suggested as if nothing had just happened, continuing his earlier listing of possible accessories or the legs he'd be building, "I can make it so you tap a hoof and they schwing on out so that she can be ready for any winter! Oh! And the ability to leave an oil slick behind her whenever shes being chased by spies!"

Bubo chirped to capture his attention, a wing being pointed at the list he'd made to direct his attention. Hay trotted closer to get himself a better look but upon reading the list he only tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't see any ice skates on here... Or anything about emergency parachutes and deploy-able bouncy tents... Maybe I should make a few changes? What do you guys think?"
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Offline Star Catcher

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #20 on: January 28, 2015, 09:09:41 am »
Star watched Jazz patiently as she waited for the mare to give her some kind of response. Couldn't have been easy, trying to balance cost with what she really wanted to get out of this gift for her wife, so Star was more than willing to give her all the time she needed. Once the mare finally decided on the price of four hundred, Star nodded slightly as she moved to fold up the sheet of paper. "Four hundred's our budget then. It's possible we'll be able to save you a few bits here and there, but... Well, we'll get it done~."

She then jumped a bit when Haywire popped out of the junk nearby and landed beside them, effectively startling her. She stared at him for a moment before sighing as he went on a tangent about ice skates, apparently still set on adding unnecessary things to the prosthetic limbs. As she opened her mouth to try and dissuade him however, Bubo chirped and drew their attention to the list. Unfolding it once more so that the range between three hundred and four hundred bits was visible, she held it a bit out to the side so he could take a better look at it.

This was followed by him saying there weren't any doo-dads on the list, resulting in a shake of her head as she looked over to him. "No, Haywire," she told him, gently but firmly. "If Jazz wanted something special, or extra like that, I have no doubt that she'd let us know. So we need to make the prosthetics... Well, just like functioning legs." She then returned her attention to the mare. "I'll chock up a drawing of possible we can add to the legs, and have you come by for a visit--or I can stop by for a visit, whichever--to see what you think. So if you have any ideas or get any ideas, I'm absolutely all for hearing them. But I believe we have all we need to get this underway. If you want me to stop by once I draw up some rough drafts, you'll need to leave me an adress I can visit. Otherwise, just come by whenever.

"Thank you for your business, miss Jazz."

Offline Jazz

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #21 on: January 31, 2015, 08:30:22 pm »
The sudden clattering draws Jazz's attention just in time for her to see Haywire soaring through the air over the mound of widgets and come to a perfect stop right beside them, as though he'd somehow planned it. The mare can't help but give a laugh, and claps her hooves enthusiastically at the inventor's return to the conversation. He then starts to talk about additions to the legs as though he hadn't even left, and while ice skates don't sound like something Thyme would enjoy, it does give her an idea. "Something for the winter isn't a bad idea, like an attachment to stop them sliding on ice maybe?" Jazz frowns slightly, looking off into space for a moment as she thinks. "She hates the cold too... Would you be able to add something to keep them warm in the winter? Or at least where they attach. Um..." She thinks for a few more moments, trying to decide if there really is anything else to add. Nothing comes to mind though, so she turns to Star. "When do you think I should come back? Getting a picture to go off of would be simple, so how long do you think it'll take you to make some sketches?"

Offline Star Catcher

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2015, 09:23:04 am »
Quietly, Star listened as Jazz mentioned a couple of other things that might actually be beneficial for the legs during winter time, then nodded a bit in acknowledgement of the ideas and their usefulness. Then, Jazz asked about the best time for her to return to the shop to approve Star's drawings. She hummed for a moment, gaze wandering about in front of her before she looked back to Jazz and responded. "I could probably have some rough sketches drawn up in the next couple of days. So in two or three days? For the design... Do you think your wife would prefer something a little more simple, or something more showy and fancy?"

Offline Haywire

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2015, 12:00:30 pm »
"In the winter? I can try and make some special hooves you can switch in for walking on snow and ice? Yeah, some special hooves for extra grip!" Haywire offered when Jazz asked about special the legs could have for the colder season, "And keeping it warm shouldn't be too bad, just need to give it some nice insulation where the body would touch the legs. OR! I can try to give it its own heating system!?" Lightly bouncing on his hooves in excitement over the idea, Hay gave the two mares a look to see if they approved, though chances were probably slim since the idea of something like that could lead to some pretty big... whoopsies.

For the question regarding how soon Jazz could be shown sketches, Haywire almost "pfft" out loud since the idea that it would take days, according to Star, was waaaaaay overestimating if you asked Hay. He'd probably be able to draw up plans before the day was out! Several even! If Jazz came back that night he'd most likely have many drawings and such ready for her to peruse.

... But then again, his drawings usually were pretty rough and messy... and he wasn't exactly a good artist. Actually, taking a second to think about it, his sketches and the like were usually a mess that only he ever was able to figure out, usually, since everything was always so chaotically mashed together and scribbled so hastily. Hmm. Perhaps a couple days might actually be a fair amount of time for Star to try her hoof in making whatever he made more presentable and easier to digest for Jazz. Would also give plenty of time to throw out the more extreme and wild designs he was bound to come up with at first. Maybe erase a jetpack or two...

Welp! Either way, Hay was looking forward to this, it being very clear from his ever present smile as he watched and listened to Jazz and Star continue to discuss the project and its more aesthetic aspects.
Couldn't fail!!!

Offline Jazz

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #24 on: February 08, 2015, 02:48:22 pm »
Jazz nods at Star's suggestion to return in a few days, and thinks for a few moments at her question. "Hm... I don't think she'd want anything too fancy. She's... not very outgoing. I'm sure the legs will attract enough attention as it is, she wouldn't want anything that would draw even more attention." For a moment she frowns, then looks to Star hopefully. "Honestly they should be as discreet as possible." She looks over at Haywire with a grin and a small giggle. "That sounds great for the hooves. I think you should keep away from the heating system though..." She turns back to Star, her smile dropping as she changes to a more serious topic. "How should I handle payment? Do you want anything up front?"

Offline Star Catcher

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #25 on: February 13, 2015, 06:25:46 am »
Nothing too fancy.

Star nodded once with a quiet hum when Jazz told her that her wife wasn't very outgoing, so she wanted something that was more sublte. She could work with that. She hoped. Discrete didn't sound like something that mechanical legs would fall under, but she'd try to come up with something to go somewhat along that description. When Jazz looked back to Star and asked how much she should pay up front and how they should handle the payments, Star gently bit her lip as she did some mental calculations for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. "Well... Fifteen percent of 400 would be sixty bits... So we could do that for a down payment; that should help get any initial supplies we might need and don't have--" She paused for a moment as she realized she unintentionally revealed their financial status to Jazz, if she'd been paying enough attention and was quick enough to catch it.

Clearing her throat, she tried continuing as smoothly as she could. "After that... Well, it shouldn't take too long for us to make them... Hopefully. Haywire is kind of a genius when it comes to this stuff," she said, smiling over to the stallion in question briefly before returning her attention to Jazz. "Assuming we're sticking with the four hundred bits budget... We could have you pay twenty five percent of the remainder a month, so eighty-five bits for four months... Or 170 for two months, if you want to get it out of the way quicker. Really, that part's up to you and we can decide that once the legs are finished."

She looked over to Haywire then before gently nudging against him to catch his attention in case it wasn't turned to the conversation at hoof. "I believe that's about it, unless you have anything else to add, Haywire?"

Offline Haywire

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #26 on: February 16, 2015, 11:34:36 am »
The heating system would have worked if they'd given it a chan-

Wait, they were going to get actual bits for this? Not a sack of wampums? Or a map that lead to a map of a map where one could find maps that lead to a cache of fancy futuristic gadgets long abandoned by some odd hybrid of pony and machine constructed by the old settlers of the long ago? Or chocolate?

An interesting turn of events that only just clicked with Hay, with a promise of a most unique reward when it came to the expected usual, or usually unusual usual at least, for the inhabitants of Tech Tock registering. Having actual money sure would be a nice change of pace, especially since Hay wasn't the only one in the workshop who needed to eat anymore, and the idea was A-OK with him! Maybe can even drop a couple of the bits into his saving jar when the project was over and be one baby step closer to his much larger scale air ship project.

With enthusiasm injected interested, Haywire followed along as numbers were crunched, Bubo also keeping his focus sharp as he listened, though the former was soon distracted by an odd... wiggly thing in one of his more square shaped constructs a little ways away... Looked like one of them... what were they called? Those toys for cats that are all fuzzy and you wave it around until they flip out and try to tear it to pieces? One of those. But, why though? ... What was that thing anyway? The entire of it, not just the fuzzy wiggly woo. For the life of him, Hay was unable to place it's designed purpose, and-

Pulled from his distraction by Star's nudge, Hay offered a quick and bashful smile to her before listening to the question and looking to Jazz.

"Nope! We should have plenty to get started! Just need to start gathering stuff up, taking measurements, brain storming, scribbling, markering, sticky noting, breaking, building, dodging, ducking, dipping, combat rolling, one lining, air maneuvering, determining what science was doing and we should have an early prototype in no time at all!" Bubo hopped from Star's shoulder to Hay's head with a chirp as if to confirm that this will indeed be done. Not necessarily in that order, but done all the same.
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Offline Jazz

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #27 on: February 25, 2015, 04:58:19 pm »
Jazz nods to Star after she does a little bit of mental calculation. She'd anticipated that she may need to provide some payment up front, and had brought some money with her. She turns to reach into her saddlebag, not picking up on the other mare's slight slip up. She counts out sixty bits, and it turns out she has just enough. She holds out the coins with her magic and takes a glance over at Haywire, who hasn't really said much while they were discussing payment. The little stallion seems to be distracted by something, though the goggles make it a little bit hard to tell what he's focusing on. "I think I'll take the four month one. Will be easier to get the money together I think." She turns to look at Haywire when Star nudges him, giggling a bit at the list of things that apparently go into making something around here. "Great! I'll be back in a few days then, with a few photos for you to use."

Offline Star Catcher

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2015, 07:49:16 am »
Smiling warmly, Star took the bits from Jazz and looked around briefly for something suitable to store them in before doing so, making a mental note to stash them in the bedroom later so the machines didn't magically make them disappear as a "prank". Then, when Jazz decided on the four month plan, Star nodded once more, making another mental note to write down that amount down to store or pin somewhere as a reminder. "We can do a smaller percentage per month too--just give it some thought and let us know and we'll finalize it later on! Thank you very much for your business, miss Jazz; I'm excited to see what Hay cooks up. Farewell!" she says, waving to the mare.

Once Jazz left, Star turned to Haywire with a slight half-smile. "First talk of getting your Dream Thea--err, Thought Theater--out there to get your shop sponsored, and now some prosthetic legs... The legs are priority right now, of course, but this place is starting to pick up, it seems like. Now I just have to get the rest of the shop cleaned up," she joked, turning to carry the container of bits into the bedroom. "When are you going to need me to model for you?" she continued, just as playfully.

Offline Haywire

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Re: The First Step
« Reply #29 on: March 12, 2015, 03:17:45 pm »
"Bye, Jazz!" Haywire waved as the mare left with Bubo giving a sing-songy series of tweets and lifting a wing in farewell. Once devoid of guests Haywire turned and reacted to Star's half smile with a wide one of his own.

"You said it!" said the inventor with a small chuckle, a hoof being used to straighten out the slight crookedness of his goggles he was only now noticing was a thing since his earlier tumble, "I can't remember the last time this many irons have been in the fire for the shop, and its a real exciting change if I say so myself." Of course, he failed to really realize that just a few irons were many for the often noisy and avoided establishment, but his point still stood. Such a short time and so many projects lined up from showing off his sound system to digging back up his old Theater project. And on top of that helping a mare and meeting Star? "Busy" isn't a good enough word to fully describe how things felt for Hay, even if "boring" was never truly applicable before the new stream of work coming in.

The playful tone used for Star's next question went a bit over Hay's head with the inventor just taking it as a regular question and promptly answering with, "Oh, we can start that right away once I dig up the old schematics I've got laying around somewhere for the exoskeleton then find some tape, a notepad and maybe a camera for reference shots on angles. Bubo, could you take a glide around and see if you can help me look for the right papers?" Hay requested, turning his eyes upwards towards the bird still perched on his noggin. After only a small nod Bubo was off and Hay was trotting over towards one of the many collections of... well, stuff and things making up his often scavenged sources of anything he'd need that had yet to be organized. Understandably so, however, since such a project would be a solid day's work for most.

"Just give me a bit to get organized and I'll let you know when I need your help and can take a look at your legs," Hay tossed an innocent smile back in Star's direction as he began to rummage through his whats-its and thingies, the sound of something clattering to the ground a short ways away being a possible clue as to Bubo's progress.
Couldn't fail!!!

 


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