WHO: Adamus and Presto WHAT: Two Computer geeks unite in an odd conversation WHEN: Morning WHERE: Hinkles WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Presto smiled as he sat at Hinkles, the morning sun still rising over the city, and waking people up. It was sparse of people in here and outside, still. Presto wasn’t actually sure what time it was, since he no longer slept very much. He just was happy to have fixed the glitch on his computer. He glanced back at it as he tapped a few more keys checking a diagnostic and smiled. Perfect!
So far, his enhancement module was running at 85% efficiency, which was higher than he had expected. For a first time stab into magitech, he was hopeful!
He smiled at his modified laptop, and patted it as he sat back, lifting his coffee and suddenly hungry. The laptop purred softly as he rose to order some food. Coffee no longer seemed to be enough this morning.
***
Adamus was trying to take some kindly given advice and get out more. It wasn’t easy, because he wasn’t a social person to begin with. Add to that the trauma he’d been through back home in the past few years, and it wasn’t really any surprise that he preferred his own company. But he was also lonely, and it would be a lie to deny that. So he would try, and see where his attempts took him.
He usually went to Starbucks, but he thought perhaps that he could try something new and go to Hinkles instead. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around for a place to sit. Seeing another person with a computer on the table, he hoped that the two of them might have enough in common that it wouldn’t be miserably uncomfortable.
Laptop bag over his shoulder, he approached him as he stood at the counter, indicating the table.
“Do you mind if I...join you?”
***
Presto glanced up, and smiled. “Absolutely! “ he was always glad to talk to people, and with this guy having a laptop, maybe they would have things in common. “I’m just ordering food, but I’ll be back over there soon. Feel free to make some space if you need some.” He waved at the table, too.
The other man seemed nice enough and as Presto ordered, he found himself grinning.
***
Adamus nodded, then took his seat across from the other man. He got out his laptop and started it up, tapping into a few things to access his work’s network remotely. By the time he was finished with that, the other man had returned, and he knew that it was expected for him to comment.
Awkwardly, he looked up at him.
“Hello. I’m Adamus Sutekh,” he said. Introductions had to happen first, right? “I do appreciate you letting me sit here.”
***
“Nice to meet you, Mister Sutekh. I’m Presto. And no problem. I know these places can be crowded at the oddest of hours. “ Presto smiled as he settled back in behind his laptop, like armor. He checked here enhancement module, and ran a quick monitoring spell, then nodded.. He looked up at the other.
“I’ve been here for a little over a year, this time.”
***
“This time?” He asked, wanting clarification. He assumed that meant that he’d been here before, and maybe even remember it. Supposedly Adamus himself had been here before as well, but he didn’t remember anything about it. He simply believed the others when they spoke of it, because they had absolutely no reason to lie.
“I have not been here that long, although I believe I may be approaching a year in the next few months.”
What he was doing to the computer was unlike anything Adamus was familiar with, and he couldn’t help but be curious.
“What exactly is it that you’re doing?”
***
“I was here for six months, once before, and for me, it was a blink between leaving and arriving again, but for others, it was like six or eight months between visits.” Presto nodded. He didn’t want to ever leave Madison. He was growing even more used to his magic, and in love, and he knew people. And he wasn’t being attacked all the time. This place was pure peace even in the worst times compared to the Realm.
“Hmmm? Oh. I created an enhancement module, using magic and computer parts, which speeds processing power, as well as allows the computer to act an an arcane focus. It also expands the storage capacity some.”
***
Adamus blinked. He’d heard of many things, but mixing magic and technology was definitely not one of them. Until arriving in Madison Valley, he wouldn’t have even said that he believed in magic. Sure, the Loric had powers. He’d seen that, but it wasn’t magic. It was some natural thing given to them by the planet they lived on. Magic was...something else entirely. Magic was wands and spells and magicians at carnivals.
“I see,” he said, trying not to sound condemning. “I didn’t know that such a thing could be done.”
***
Presto nodded. “Oh yeah!” He was enthusiastic. “Before I was a wizard, I was a computer geek,. And physics and magic work along the same lines, just using different tools and methodology. Both harness the fundamental forces to create changes.”
Presto spread his hands and an image of the computer came into existence, the circuits glowing as energy ran along them. Then he concentrated and a second map hovered over that one, laying the lines of magic over those of electrical energy. He leaned forward and pointed.
“A node here and here allows me to gather and conduct magical energy along these lines, and to promote, increase, and re-enable the circuits to achieve higher amounts of energy, and to handle more calculations. That allows it to go faster, just as if it had a higher, more powerful processor, but at a lesser heat-energy cost.”
***
It was one of the strangest things he’d ever heard, but being comfortable with tech, Adamus completely understood the advantages of it. Keeping the device cool while increasing processor speed had been a critical issues since computers first were invented, and the magic was a clever way to fix it.
If, of course, you had magic. Which he didn’t.
“I suppose that could be useful. But does it require the magic be redone at intervals, so that you have to be a magic user to control such a device? Or could they be of use to the more general, non-magical public?”
***
“It could be, eventually, provided as a permanent and self-renewing add-on.. That’s what I’m testing now. See, magic, at least some kinds of it, underlie all other energies. Light, radiation of other kinds, all of it. If you can hear, or see, magic is in the room.”
Presto nodded, getting into the explanation. “The more magic, the more resources available to tap into. The latest version of this attachment I have been working on taps into that resource pool, scanning for it much the same way that a computer scans for a wifi source. When around a source of magic, the module taps into it, and absorbs that which is radiated. It wont drain energy from, say, a living magical being, or anything like that. Just the free-flowing magic that comes out anyway.”
“Right now, it is not absorbing enough, yet. Which means I made a mistake in the spell somewhere. Or in the circuits. Or in the code. I keep running tests to see which it is, and then isolate, test, and attempt to solve.” He could totally fail or it could take him years, but it was a project he was passionate about.
***
“Or maybe there isn’t enough magic in here?” Looking around, he didn’t see anyone who he knew who had magical powers, but he didn’t know everyone.
“I have an amplifier that my people use to boost signals on earth so that we can pick up our ships in orbit around the moon. It’s far more powerful than anything humans have, and it works on a completely different frequency. I wonder if it could be adapted to amplify magical impulses?”
He was already running through his mind some way that it could be possible.
“I would be willing to try, if you’d be interested.”
***
“If it could… that would be immense. Heck, it’s worth a try. “ He held up a hand. “Just so you know, this might not work. I mean, the math and magic is sound, but… merging things sometimes doesn’t. I am definitely interested in trying, though.”
He grinned. Presto loved magic and computers.The chance to do both, together? Was amazing!
***
“We won’t know if we don’t try,” he said. “Of course, I can’t make any promises because I haven’t seen your tech, and I have no idea how they’ll interface, but maybe trying something not of Earth origin will have a different effect?”
He shrugged. Who knew if it would work? But it was worth the attempt, and they’d only be out a few hours if it didn’t.
“What do you say you come over to my place tomorrow, and we’ll work on it?”
***
“Very true. We’re the ones in a position to try it, so why not?” And hope for the best. It had been hard work to get this far, would probably be hard work going forward, but it could be fun work, too, especially working with someone else.
Presto nodded eagerly. “I’d like that, sure. When and where am I coming to?”
***
Adamus pulled out a card and wrote down his address, then scooted the card across the table to Presto.
“I should be home by seven,” he said He usually wasn’t home that early, but he could make an exception. He was officially off at five, so it wasn’t like he’d be cheating his employer.
“I can order dinner. Do you like pizza?”
It was easy to eat while working.
***
Presto took the card, memorized the address, and stuck it in his belt. “Alright. I’ll get there a little after that, with the materials I’ve been using to test things.”
Presto nodded. “Absolutely. Pizza is good, with any toppings. Ever since I came back to the world, regular fast foods, of any kind, have been heaven.” He had missed them, a lot.
***
“Came back to the world?” Adamus asked, quirking an eyebrow. It was such a weird turn of phrase that he had to ask.
“I generally just get cheese. Pizza has so many flavors...and I’m not used to them. But I suppose I could try a topping or two, if you prefer.”
He was trying to branch out, after all, away from the spartan Mogadorian lifestyle he was so used to.
***
“I was stuck in another world for four and a half years, with some friends, running form dangers, righting others, fighting some.” he shook his head. “This place brought me from there.”
He nodded. “Cheese is good, mostly. If you want, we could try beef or chicken.” He nodded.
***
“I suppose that’s good? Although it looks as though you’re stuck here as well.”
Adamus thought about it.
“Chicken, maybe?” He was quite fond of chicken. It had a mild flavor and very little spice. He was willing to try that for Presto’s sake, and because he wanted to branch out.
***
Presto grinned. “BUt this place has showers and good food. It is a huge step up.” He chuckled, then nodded.
“Chicken sounds good.”
Presto glanced at his laptop, which dinged as an alarm went off. “Oh man, I’ve got to go meet my girlfriend. I’ll meet you there, tomorrow, okay?”
He stood, putting his laptop and notes away, then extended his hand to the other.
“It was nice meeting you.”
***
Adamus took his hand and shook it, nodding in agreement to meeting him tomorrow.