Circus Among the Circuitry

I stand beside Liv and feel as though my mind is slightly disconnected as I look to each shop window. I know for sure that I have seen or touched any of the items or topics in the windows. Yet, for some reason, I know them. I know what they do. I know how they work. I find myself looking to Liv with a slight glaze in my eyes. "You're not coming?"

I shrug, absently studying an array of the 27th century analog to the ipod. I've always wanted a music device, but I learned my lesson in the 80's with a walkman. If that brick shorted out on me, something as delicate as an ipod would never survive.
"I can't. You go on, the boys will show you around."

I shake my head. "You shouldn't stay here alone. It's not safe..."

I shrug, reminding myself that I have got to stop referring to Sori as a boy. "Trust me, I'll be fine. I can hold my own well enough, and I'd....well, me in one of those stores would be bad."

"Why would it be a bad thing?" I look from her to another store and wince lightly as more new information seems to come out of nowhere and fill my head.

" Trust her judgement," I murmur to her "She did after all beat death literally and twice." I smirk " come on, It should be a bit of fun, and she should be ok, if she isn't the rest of us will be warned" here Kaija gives me a look that could wither most trees " What?"

I smile ruefully. "I inherited this thing from my mother, I have a... my mother's people..." how do I explain this best? Finally, I hit on it. "The way my body uses and produces energy interferes with the ways technology runs. Anything beyond cogs and gears, anything electrical or with a microchip tends to short out around me. So I shouldn't go in. But you guys go on, I'll do some busking while I wait for you." I give Kiou a light push towards Liam. "Go on, see things you've never seen before!"

I nod sadly and look to Liam before bowing my head towards him. "I am in your care sir."

I glance to Kaija only to see her come to my side "Well then, on to glorious tech" I mutter trying to be amusing. "this should be interesting"

I look to the various things in the windows as we make our way to one of the shops. Shelves crammed tight with various technology goods are everywhere. Older parts are stuffed into dusty old boxes and give the whole shop a musty smell of age and experience. "I... This is all so..." I can think of no way to proper finish the sentence as my mind jumps at the opportunity to inform me of exactly everything that I am seeing.

I murmur "careful what you touch some of this stuff is mis-leading" I begin rummaging through some of the part in a brassworks box, the wheels in my head already turning.

Schematics, components, fly wheels, solder, irons... All of it I know. Of course, the more I look, the more I know. And the more my head begins to ache. It's throbbing now, forcing my heartbeat into my temples and I close my eye hoping to stem the influx of knowledge. I have never touched, smell, nor seen any of these things. So then why was it that I knew them all?

"Slow deep breath Koi," I say never quite stopping my search "there is alot to take in, why haven't you asked any questions?" I am mildly confused since she sould be near bursting with them normally.

Pressing my hands to my temples I fought to calm myself as the throbbing knowledge forces it's way through my mind. "I... I have no need to ask.. I ... I try to ask but then it is there.... And then I know..."

i enter the shop and stop my jaw drops and i say "i. love. this. place." and start looking through the shelves and boxes at a near frantic rate.

"Hell of a gift" I say "too bad it causes such a headache, may I?" I ask slowly holding up my empty hands in a universal sign of 'I'm not going to hurt you' before glancing at our Pyro "Gods of earth and sky help us" I mutter before shaking myself.

I watched him and waited for him to do whatever it was he was going to do. anything to stop the throbbing would be eagerly accepted.

I Lightly brush my fingertips along the side of her head where she was rubbing her temples, not finding the tension I expect move around her and find, as expected, the tension is in her neck, with a point where the grain of the has something like a knot in it "ok this is going to hurt for a moment, when you feel like it loosens up let me know" I mutter "should make the headache go away, or at least get more tolerable" and press on the points with my thumbs about medium strength "Keep breathing. slow and deep."

I let out a yelp despite myself as the whole pressure increases to where my eyes are throbbing. "It hurts..." My body begins to move on instinct in order to avoid his fingers and the pain they are causing.

"Hold still" I say again "think of it as when you lance and infection, hurts more for a moment then the pain stops" I try to keep my voice even "I thought your people were stoic, Breath Slow and Deep, In" I pause for a moment "Out"

There is a glimmer of another person within me and I grit my teeth to push her back. He is trying to help. He is trying to help... Breathe... I close my eyes and follow his instructions to the best of my ability.

The pressure increases until suddenly, it is like it pops and there is a rush of stilling warmth into my head. I let out a light moan of pleasure and euphoria despite myself.

I smile despite myself "better?" then i take my hands off her "come on, you might be able to help me with a project for our songstress" I grin going back to digging through the box "she forgets there is more then one way to solve most problems."

I swoon a moment as various diagrams and solutions whip past my mind's eye. "There are... many answers... What... What did you have in mind?"

I begin setting components to the side "there are worlds where magic and tech are so intertwined that they don't foul each other," I grin "when you can get the components for it you can make magic resistant objects which I wouldn't mind, If we get in a bind i want any possible advantage our motley group can manage" a few resonance chambers, a pair of hermetic quarts crystals. And several other components are added to the pile "

I reach out for one of the crystals and look it over in deep fascination and intense scrutiny. "This one.... This one is used... You cannot use this one and get the result you desire. It has information imprinted in it already." I hand it back to him slowly beginning to fear the fact that I know it is broken.