Introducing Benvolio

[keep_the_peace]

Waking up in a strange bedroom, in a strange house, was bad enough, but then when Benvolio finally made his way to the front door he was greeted by snow outside. Summer might be coming to an end, but it definitely is not snow weather yet, nor is Benvolio dressed for such, in his black silk doublet, black and blue trimmed trunk hose, and black stockings. He does have shoes on, thankfully, though he can't imagine how he would have fallen asleep wearing shoes. It's not like he's had much opportunity to celebrate to the point of blacking out lately, after all.

Regardless, he takes one look at the snow outside and decides to shut the door and instead turn his attention to the table covered in different pamphlets and papers. He has many questions.

Comments

[summerdude]

"Yeah, he's a real barrel of monkeys, huh."

[keep_the_peace]

This is not a phrase Benvolio has heard before, but he feels it in his bones that it accurately describes Mercutio. "He is that, ay."

[summerdude]

"Have you guys been-- wait," Magnus says, and slaps himself on the forehead. "Where are my manners? Are you cold? ...Do you want me to show you around out here?"

[keep_the_peace]

"I am warm enough," debatable, but he doesn't realize Magnus has warming up powers right now so he's resigned to it, "I would not mind being shown around though, if thou wouldst like to."

[summerdude]

"Okay. Well, if you get cold, let me know. I have--" Magnus wiggles his fingers. "Alf seidr. Um, elf magic." He shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. "What do you want to see first? We have the stables, the greenhouses, the orchards, the tower, my family's house, me and Alex's camp, the lake, the sea, the caves, the cliffs, the forest, the training grounds... Whatever it is Janet's doing with the backyard... um, a hedge maze?"

[keep_the_peace]

He almost replies about the hedge maze, but then gets a mental image of getting lost inside a maze, in this weather. Sure, this Magnus says he has magic that can warm him or whatever, but Benvolio doesn't want to bank on that. "I did not know there were cliffs here." He didn't know about half of that other stuff either to be fair. But gotta start somewhere, right?

[summerdude]

"Yep. By the ocean. Me and some of the girls go cliff-diving every once in awhile." Magnus tilts his head. "I bet Mercutio is gonna drag you over there when it gets warmer out, Tally keeps talking about how he should join us next time."

[keep_the_peace]

Tally is a name he has heard Mercutio mention, though he hasn't met the woman yet. "That does sound enjoyable!" You know, as long as Mercutio doesn't get hurt on the cliffs or anything. Keeping him from dying again is a bit of a priority.

[summerdude]

"It's all safe," Magnus adds, in case Benvolio isn't as thrill-seeking as Mercutio. "I have a deal with SecUnit."

[keep_the_peace]

"Oh? I am afraid I have not yet met this person." Do they... somehow keep everyone safe while jumping off cliffs?

[summerdude]

"It's like..." Magnus hesitates. "Do you know what a robot is?"

[keep_the_peace]

"I do not."

[summerdude]

"They're like... machines that do stuff. Technically. In books and movies they're mostly machines that are people. Like, you can have a robot..." What's a reference he'll probably get? "...butler? And it does a butler's job but it's a machine person instead of a flesh person."

[keep_the_peace]

"And this SecUnit is... one of these machine servants?" He's fully imagining just the refrigerator but sentient somehow.

[summerdude]

"SecUnit would say that it's a construct, not a robot. I... don't actually know what that means. It looks like a person? Like when you're looking at it, it doesn't obviously have any machine parts, even though they're definitely there. Um, somewhere. And it cares a lot about security and gets really annoyed when humans do dangerous stuff. It told me once it wished that we'd ask it to check out situations before we jump into them, so I've made a point of asking it to do, like, security assessments of stuff before we dive into it."

[keep_the_peace]

So... not like the refrigerator, then. Just a person, but one with... refrigerator insides? Instead of organs, maybe?

"It must dislike Mercutio greatly, an it does not like dangerous actions."

[summerdude]

"I don't know. It's not much of a gossip," Magnus shrugs. "But anytime I do a dangerous activity that Mercutio is invited to, SecUnit has given me its blessing. Basically."

[keep_the_peace]

"It trusts thee, that is good!"

[summerdude]

"Well, sort of. I have to make my case first, and then it checks out the area, and then if it says no, then I think of something else to propose instead."

[keep_the_peace]

"It almost trusts thee, that is nearly as good," he laughs.

[summerdude]

Magnus likes this guy. "Hey, good point!"

[keep_the_peace]

"What sort of ideas hath been turned down before?"

[summerdude]

"It's vetoed a couple of locations, the use of explosives, and anything that a non-augmented human can't easily escape."

[keep_the_peace]

Benvolio laughs. "A shame, though I can see its reasoning."

[summerdude]

"Nah," Magnus laughs. "Between you and me, it's totally right about this. Don't tell Alex and Mercutio and Tally I said that."