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[purplexing]

You're conversing with Donatello-

Juuuust not this exact second. Please rank your call by number of priority and I'll get back to you accordingly.

1 - A technical emergency

2 - General inquiry

3 - Miscellaneous

Comments

[phobulus]

( mhm. yep. mhm this is. yeah. this is about what he should have expected.

he's just gonna. hold it. and look up at the ceiling for strength. oh damn they're up— )

Oh hey hi yeah, can I have uhh—do you guys do like a ziti slice? Yeah, ziti. The pasta, yes—OK don't give me that look, don't act like you don't know... ( SIGH. ) Kay, how about uhh barbecue chicken, I guess? OK thank you. Two actually, yeah. You got garlic knots back there? Great. I'm getting my man's here too, if he doesn't fall into his backpack and disappear...

[purplexing]

[Golly dad, give him a break-]

Pepperoni, artichoke and mushroom- actually we'll just do the veggie supreme but with pepperoni, that cool?

[Said while he's still looking through that backpack.]

[phobulus]

( two can play the razz game, champ! hardison takes back over, getting them fountain drink cups and settling up the tab on a card that decidedly does not say his actual name etc, etc. )

You got a spoonful of sugar in there for me, Mary Poppins?

( while they wait he's just gonna hook those skinny old ass headphones around his neck. maybe he's savoring the way the cheap foam squishes between his thumb and finger, what of it? maybe he's clicking open the cassette player and snapping it shut again the way he did with the hand-me-down he got from one of the other foster kids back in the day.

yeah, he's definitely keeping it. )

[purplexing]

Hang on, I'll have to look up that reference-

[Totally not grinning.

But Donnie sits once Hardison's got them a table, finally pulling out a box and sliding it over.]

-ahah!

You didn't specify but that one had a calculator, which I figure was considered high-tech back in the day, and who doesn't want a calculator on their wrist?

[phobulus]

( all of the sass leaves him as hardison takes in the sight of a brand new vintage calculator watch. he's stolen a lot of things; stunning and staggering amounts of money; a court trial; technically an airplane while it was in the air, but this—

the walkman is all but forgotten (not really, he is putting it gently into a pocket) as hardison reaches to pull his own trinket toward himself. a soft smile on his face, he turns the box this way and that, hesitant to open it.

he smiles at dee, shaking his head in disbelief before entirely killing the moment: )

What is this? Man, I asked for a Game and Watch. ( a beat. he can't let it get too mushy, you know. yes he is excited to have a thing he begged his nana for as a kid and never got shut up that's not the point. ) You think I can't do math in my head?

( maybe he is simply embarrassed at how happy this casio is making him.... )

[purplexing]

[Donnie leans back in his seat, ceasing his pack-rifling to watch as Hardison looks over the goods. True, this isn't anything he's made with his own hands, but it's still a nice feeling, seeing the appreciation in that smile, even that headshake.

Of course they can't get all sentimental. This is a no-feelings, bad-boy zone.]

Yeah, I know, fumbled on the game, I will admit. Things got kind of busy all of a sudden- [You know how it goes, getting tangled up in some crime boss's business, having to lie low for a bit...] -but hey, now you can do the math on your wrist too.

[phobulus]

( hardison sobers for just a moment, worried that he's pushed the razzing too far. donnie saying something self-deprecating is kinda jarring, after all!

then he smirks again. muahaha... )

So, where's yours?

( you got them matching one, right dee? )

They're super customizable, we could make sure yours matches your fit, you know. Give it that purple glow.

[purplexing]

[Donnie grins- how could he have passed up his own calculator watch? He pauses a moment before pulling out another box. Maybe it's good he hadn't gotten around to unpacking things.]

That sounds amazing, I had not even thought about that yet, but clearly you know me too well.

[He sets the box down between them before looking over towards the counter when he hears their number. One sec, grabbing the food!]

[phobulus]

It was just a hunch...

( hardison's words chase donnie as he scurries away to schlep. meanwhile, hardison gets his new gadget settled on his wrist and takes a moment to admire it.

once dee returns, hardison falls into the relatively comfortable routine of getting everything settled, all domestic like. napkins go here, cups there, etc, etc. every so often, hardison waggles his wrist happily, like he's 10 again and just got a gameboy color. )

I still think it's crazy you actually dipped back in time, but I see the wisdom now.

[purplexing]

[Pizza's here! Donnie sets them down on the table, settling back into his seat. He can't help but smirk a little at the neat little setup that he comes back to, but seeing Hardison so giddy about his new toy keeps the turtle from loading any commentary. Although if the guy had went and got forks and knives for them to eat with then he'd have no choice.]

Heh! I mean, yeah. It was pretty crazy- still is kinda crazy to think about. Still would not want to live there.

[phobulus]

( oh yeah it's face-stuffing time. pardon hardison's poor manners as he scarfs away, everything smells good and he's disgustingly curious. )

To be honest when I got here it felt like time travel. ( monch, monch. ) So I'm glad you got to come back. You know, to modern comforts.

( and also at all. he is very glad dee made it back and everything is mostly status quo. he didn't pace a worry-hole in the floorboards at the theater at all, nope. )

[purplexing]

[Pff, like Donnie's one to come down on someone for manners. It is pizza time and that is totally meant for face-stuffing. Plus, his brothers probably are way worse than Hardison. Donnie chews in companionable silence for a moment. You never realize how hungry you are until you're eating, sometimes.]

Haha, yeah? I hadn't even thought about that- I was way too thrown off by finding out my brother had been here longer and was still from some point in the future like, a day ahead of me.

[He quickly moves along on that subject, not wanting to dwell, don't notice, don't notice- nothing awkward about that whole situation, NOPE]

Modern comforts though- Oh you have no idea. No internet or cellphone was a nightmare! It was like we were forced to go camping again but I still had my tech, it was just that everywhere was a deadzone.

[Dude don't tell him that he'd feel super bad about worrying someone so much and having no idea he was doing it. ...at least he hasn't told Hardison that he ended up fighting a god, it's fine.]

[phobulus]

( hardison does a big ol' nod—being here with but not in lockstep beside his people scrambled his brain a bit. thinking about it too hard is definitely asking for a spiral of unknown magnitude. )

Camping— ( a groan. misery, more like. ) Yeah, actually I was gonna ask, if you found any way to mash your hoodoo up with vintage tech.

[purplexing]

[Donnie stuffs more pizza into his mouth, nodding understandingly at that groan. EXACTLY.]

Well, I could tweak things pretty easily. It was obscenely simple rigging security cameras not to see me. Tech's a lot less complicated, especially computer-wise. Of course, none of the stuff we brought with us was functioning so I reacquainted myself with a CB radio.

[phobulus]

Oh, yeah true. I guess it was mostly just basic and wired.

( chomp, chomp. )

And then what was wireless probably wasn't all that secure. Just a lot of stuff being encoded manually and whatnot. Maybe I should've gone back, I'd have felt less like a caveman...

( not that he hasn't been working tirelessly to catch up. but ten years is a mountain of tech and he's just one guy. )

[purplexing]

It is pretty amazing how much technology has progressed between the years.

[Donnie arches a brow at him then, a corner of his mouth quirking.]

Well, if you need anyone to show you how to set up your wifi or reset your passwords...

[phobulus]

Hah-hah-hah...

( hardison lets his tongue hang out for his mock laugh oh donnie you're such a comedian!!! )

Honestly, if things were like my world it wouldn't be so wild. Now I got guys like you to contend with, and the Confluence didn't even give me anything useful. I'm catching up twice over, that's all.

( sometimes you just have to work yourself to the bone and that's totally healthy and not at all unrealistic an expectation to put on yourself. )

[purplexing]

[His dad always said he was the funny one.]

I'm pretty sure this world is an exception to any expectations given how it's a big blender stuffing itself with elements from other worlds.

Maybe you just need the right outlet. Know people who could benefit with that boost you can do?

[What, you mean pulling all-nighters and stretching yourself thin trying to make sure you've got everything covered isn't normal, nope, don't know what you're talking about.]