outofthepast: (Silhouette)
Nick Valentine ([personal profile] outofthepast) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2022-04-16 06:47 pm

Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease (OPEN)

Who: Nick Valentine and YOU!
When: Throughout April
Where: ADI HQ and apartments, Gloucester, various
Summary: Nick acclimates himself to a world before the apocalypse (for now, anyway.)
Warnings: General identity melancholy, other warnings to be added as needed



OOC: Brackets or prose, your preference goes. Nick appears human away from ADI facilities (first two prompts.)

1. Shopping Spree

The general store in Gloucester is a far cry from the Diamond City market, that's for sure. The shelves are clean, tidy, and well-stocked. They take paper currency. All the products are brand new and in their original packaging. Myrna's not screaming at him to stay ten feet away from her. There's no noodle-dealing robots speaking Japanese, and shoplifters probably won't get their legs broken by security.

Even with this human disguise on, Nick can't shake the feeling he's being scrutinized. Maybe it's the anachronistic fashion, a nice, clean, well-pressed suit and fedora like he just fell out of the classic movie channel. Or maybe the items in his basket might raise eyebrows: cigarettes, six boxes of miscellaneous hardware, four bottles of glue, a case of duct tape. The clerk definitely makes some sideways glances at him when he checks out.

"Got a big night planned later," he quips. The look on the clerk's face is worth it, but he'd rather get out of here sooner than later, afterwards.

The rush makes him uncharacteristically clumsy on his way out the door. He collides with an incoming customer, tearing his paper sack and spilling his items all over the doorway.

"'Scuse me. Beg your pardon." He tips his hat and crouches down to gather up the items before somebody asks him what any man needs with two gallons of motor lubricant.


2. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

His discomfort at the human disguise that's been forced on him won't get any better if he spends all his time lurking around HQ and avoiding it. So Nick does his best to go out often, poke around Gloucester and try to get used to blending in with everyone else.

It's rainy tonight, misty and cold. The bar didn't end up being his kind of joint, so he stepped out a while ago to have a cigarette before heading back. Under the awning, in the dim glow of a streetlight, he watches night fall and gets lost in his thoughts. Lost in Boston, his home, there across the harbor, right down the road and an entire lifetime away from him.

At last, he throws in the towel. Shakes his head and opens his umbrella, propping it on his shoulder for the walk back to the apartment.

Under an awning up ahead, he spots a familiar face. Someone he's seen around ADI, at least in passing. Probably looking to get back there without getting too drenched.

"You headin' back to ADI?" Nick approaches, the very image of a midcentury gentleman. "We can share an umbrella, if you're keen." He can probably use the company, honestly.


3. A Helping Hand

People who frequent ADI HQ have to be at least a little desensitized to unusual sights. Or so Nick keeps telling himself. It doesn't make it any easier when he's gotten himself into the awkward position of needing to ask for help.

Off in the corner of the cafeteria, the old synth sits at a bench, a toolbox sitting beside him and a grim look on his face. His right hand taps nervously on the tabletop, and his left hangs at his side, unusually rigid.

Ugh. This is humiliating. But they look agreeable enough...

"Excuse me. Could I borrow you for a moment?" Nick swallows his pride and flags down the passerby. "I seem to be in a bit of a scrape and I need an extra set of hands to, uh... straighten something out."


4. All-Nighter

Nick finds himself drawn to the courtyards at the apartment building. It's sad that green plants and well-kept landscapes are such a novelty for him, but it does make a guy appreciate them more. Late at night, when he gets bored of sitting around the apartment, he's made a habit of heading outside for a smoke and a walk. It's nice to enjoy the fresh air and the views, and he doesn't have to worry about waking up George or anyone else.

Normally he's got the place to himself, but his movement sensors pick up someone else about midway through his first cigarette. Nick turns around, yellow eyes glowing bright in the dark, and spots them a short distance behind him.

"You're up late." It's said with a pleasant, friendly tone and a smile, but honestly, that's probably not going to help how alarming he looks, unexpected and in the dead of night.


5. Wildcard

(COME AT ME. Happy to plot, [plurk.com profile] theggnator or Discord!)


vrituom: (Default)

[personal profile] vrituom 2022-04-25 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"How often does it--" She finishes the sentence with a little hand gesture, letting him opt for whatever word he chooses.

But even she recognises it's a little rude, shrugging instead and giving him the option to not answer by tacking on--

"I don't know what they've got here. Wouldn't fancy getting stuck up myself."
abrightboy: (wants to help)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2022-04-25 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's really cool. Sorry you ended up here. ...Unless it sucked for you there. Are people mean to you for being a machine?" he asks as they walk.
demonicmiracle: (108)

[personal profile] demonicmiracle 2022-04-26 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Friendship ended with everyone else, now Nick is his best friend.

It's been a good decade or so since he's smoked regularly, but he's had more than enough practice over the years to make quick work of getting his cigarette lighted so Nick can light his own. He can deal with Aziraphale potentially being cross about it later.

"Y'know, there's nothing wrong with keeping shit to yourself if you want to. It's not anyone else's business what you are or aren't, at the end of the day." It's not as if he's hiding a secret like I'm actually an axe murderer and am going to kill you all. It's just what he is. Same as Crowley not telling people he's a demon, or Aziraphale hiding that he's an angel. "Maybe it'll be a bit of a break, not having to constantly pre-empt all those assumptions."
worthallthis: (but i did it)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2022-04-26 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
"No. Your sleeve grounded it out, if there was a shock." Thankfully. Otherwise his own arm might have shorted. Or he might have wound up huddled in a corner from reaction. Winter and electricity are not friends. "Does it come out often? Your arm."
aelwyn_aberration: (pic#15387961)

4

[personal profile] aelwyn_aberration 2022-04-26 11:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Aelwyn approaches, only mildly surprised by his appearance. She has a computer bag slung over her shoulder, but it's certainly not a computer inside it. Besides setting up for her own false flag operation, she does need to feed in order to keep her powers.

It's not desperate, though. She can't say she's met a metal man, especially not one that looks like an uncanny mix between human and machine, but she's at least heard of them. The dwarves built them as servants, but they became sentient, and Soulforger demanded they be set free.

Probably a different scenario here, but the same principle she imagines.]


Not particularly. Humans just demand a full eight hours of sleep, supposedly. It's very greedy of them. [She glances at his cigarette, pulling one of her own from her jacket pocket.] Got a light, metal man?
henchgal: (beshadowed)

[personal profile] henchgal 2022-04-27 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Well. For what it's worth, it's clear you're definitely not brainless."

She smiles, trying to stay on the brighter part of the conversation. Though she's tired and leaning hard on her cane at this point.

"Care to be a gentleman and walk me to my apartment? I need to get off my feet before I drop."
failedpromise: (Face)

[personal profile] failedpromise 2022-04-27 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
She snorts at his comment.

"Got it." And she'll grab his wrist and do as instructed, looking thoughtful as she does. "You know... I'm pretty sure the 21st century had the technology to custom mill or print parts. A replica might be possible." It's something to think about, at least.

She doesn't want to watch another AI degrade like this. Not when it doesn't have to be that way.
whisperedone: (3)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-04-28 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Garner frowns, his limited imagination attempting to conjure what that might look like. There were artist renditions of the Calamity and Drassig's battles and even the damage left behind by the Conclave, though that was far less a war than a slaughter, and it was still hard to imagine something so devastating to leave so much broken.

"Did the gods of your world fight? In mine, that is the only occurrence I can think of that left such devastation behind."
lavorreable: by eggzumii @ tumblr (ah!)

[personal profile] lavorreable 2022-04-29 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sure, just tell me what exactly you need." She reaches out and touches his arm, her mouth forming a small o shape as she squeezes just a little, finding no give in the structure of Nick's arm.

"Just like Charlie," she says aloud but to herself. "You know, there used to be metal people like you walking around everywhere a long time ago where I come from. Well, not just like you, they didn't have skin at all, but before the Calamity apparently there were metal people. Do you have a gem that makes you alive too?"

She can't help but glance at Nick's chest, not that she can actually see anything. He does wear clothes after all.
thedoctorsmate: (srs | neutral)

[personal profile] thedoctorsmate 2022-04-29 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"Maybe I just don't care for weird, glowy-eyed blokes commenting when I go for a bit of late-night stargazing." Although, his supposition does give her pause. "Have we got a curfew here? Just to be on the grounds. I know you can't get in after 9 PM or something." Maybe it's 10.
vrituom: (Default)

[personal profile] vrituom 2022-04-29 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, I get that. I wouldn't trust their doctors with some things."

And considering he's definitely not human she wouldn't hide not being human from him. And she doesn't want to get put under a microscope either.

"What's it like where you're from? Being... not human."
failedpromise: (Face)

[personal profile] failedpromise 2022-04-30 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
"Unless you have files specifying the exact materials and dimensions of the parts in question, they'd need to be removed and measured in order to make replicas, yes."

He'd likely lose use of the limb in question for hours or days while that was being worked on, but it beats falling apart all the time. At least, in her opinion it does.

Once he's got things snapped back into place she'll let go and watch as he moves his fingers.

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