Tricks of the trade | OPEN

[Kyler Atkinson]

Kyle wasn't a big guy, he wasn't a strong Mar's kid or some all powerful Jupiter kid. Hell he wasn't even that tall. What he did have was his own way to fight, though unlike others his fighting style took more prep time and planning. Not that he minded, he liked to know exactly how everything was going to work. No surprises, no chances to mess up. Give them a flawless show as his mother would say. He sat in the armory and tinkered with some of his tech. He may have magic but it was unreliable and honestly a lot harder than people thought. throwing mist magic and other spells around wasn't as easy as harry potter made it seem. A lot of latin and a lot of screw ups. How many times had he blown himself up, he had lost count. He toyed with a smoke bomb for a while, carefully rewiring it while some old classic rock played in the background, humming along to it as he messed with the bomb. It was relatively safe, at least the room wouldn't blow up if it went off. At least, it shouldn't.

[Oliver Dubois]

Oliver wasn't the typical Mars kid. Not in the slightest. While his siblings seemed to take on the war aspect, Oliver focused mainly on the justice part. That was why science, mainly forensics, interested him a lot. But, he had to be good Roman, if that was a thing. He had to train like none other.

And today, they took away his harpe. He wasn't allowed to use his “nerd” weapon. Good thing he could learn any weapon rapidly thanks to his dad, but it was a matter of picking one. So Oliver stalked off to the armory. Maybe he could find a sword that wasn't too bulky.

As he entered, he noticed right off the bat that he wasn't the only one in here. He tried to keep to himself, but he kept glancing over at the boy and the item he was toying with. Eventually, Oliver gave up looking at swords and moved over towards the boy. “Smoke bomb?” he asked as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “I know a modification that makes the smoke thicker than the ordinary smoke bomb.”

[Kyler Atkinson]

Few things in this world made Kyler truly happy. Some fine person in his bed, a good comic, a perfectly executed plan. Kyler wasn't expecting some kid to come up to him and talk to him in here. Most people were at drills or training or jacking off to a Jupiter statue. He glanced up and saw a face he vaguely recognized. Nah, he didn't screw him. well, yet. He looked up at the kid before turning down his music to hear what he said. He didn't look up immediately, keeping his eyes on the tinker toy in his hands.

Now Kyler wasn't a scary looking guy, scrawny, barley average height. But the smirk that spread across his lips had to be enough to make Pluto himself shutter. It was a smirk, but the most demented kind, a mix of a Cheshire grin and a evil genius that only could be formed by Kyler. As he made this smirk he looked up at the boy, eyes full of plans running through the back of his head. "Oh you don't say?"

Smoke bomb plans? just lying about? Kyler felt like batman who just found his Fox. "Well I'd love to get my hands on it if you could scrounge them up." Creepy kyler had turned back into his normal mischievous self and he stood up, holding out his hand. "Names Kyler, yours?" Every hero needed his gadgets, and someone to supply them. Maybe he had found his.

[Oliver Dubois]

Oliver didn't know the boy and hadn't seen him around camp and he was always up for new friends. Besides, talking about smoke bomb schematics seemed a tiny bit enjoyable than picking out a few sword so kids could beat up on him. The life of a so-called nerd. So he thought he could get away with talking with the boy. However, Oliver quickly second-guessed his decision as the boy turned to him and smiled. It wasn't a normal smile. Oh no. It was one that was demented. A bit of crazy in it. The kind that made Oliver's stomach twist up in knots as he wondered if he was too young to write a will or not.

But the boy seemed... okay? Maybe not in the right state of mind, but he seemed pretty alright. Oliver chuckled nervously before he pointed to his head and tapped on his temple a few times. "They're all right up in here," he admitted before he thought he saw a complete transformation of the guy in front of him. Was he not going to die today. He looked at the outreached hand before he realized that he probably should be shaking it. "Oliver," he said as he grabbed the boy's hand and shook it before clearing his voice. "I'm Oliver."

[Kyler Atkinson]

Kyler had to say, the look on the kids face when he saw his evil smirk made him want to laugh. A ghost wasn't even as white as he looked at that moment. This kid was hilarious already and kyler could see him corrupting him so easily. Though for now he could at least see if he could help him with some better equipment. Kyler nodded when he shook his hand timidly, "Well Oliver, Do you always have high tech schematics in your head? If so sign me up for whatever you have." he joked around, making sure evey time he said his name. He had every idea in mind though what he could use with those types of schematics and how he could get there. Yeah, he'd fuck him to get them. Kyler would also just do it.

"So Oliver, what does it take to get into that head of yours and get a peek at those schematics?"

[Oliver Dubois]

Oliver wondered for a moment if he got himself into a bad situation. He probably should have given out a false name. Something that couldn't be traced back to him and possibly get him murdered. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Hopefully this wouldn't bite him in the butt later. He smiled and chuckled weakly as he pulled away his hand and stuck his hands in his pockets. Kyler was stretching out his name whenever he said it and that kind of unnerved Oliver a bit.

"Uhh..." he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Just ask nicely I guess. I can even do the modifications right now." He pulled one of his hands out of his pocket as he pointed at the smoke bomb. "May I?"

[Kyler Atkinson]

Klyer liked this one, he was funny; and by funny he meant looked funny when he gave him the look like he was about to slaughter him and hang him up in a freezer. Kyler laughed under his breath and joked, "Well damn I thought I'd have to buy you dinner first or something." before he turned the bomb in his hand before lightly tossing it towards the boy. It shouldn't blow, shouldn't. He smirked at the boy. "Knock yourself out, just not literally. And be careful those aren't exactly the most stable pieces I have." Okay, none of his pieces were stable, but Oliver didn't know that. "Though I am curious why you have all sorts of plans just floating in your head and not in this room." he jestered around him to make his point clear. The legion could always use new equipment, as long as he got his hands on them first.

[Oliver Dubois]

Oliver wondered for a moment if dinner was customary in these kinds of situations, but that thought quickly left his head as the smoke bomb was tossed towards him. He thought for a split-second that it would explode in his face and he'd have the lamest way to die in Camp Jupiter, but it didn't. He fumbled with it a bit before it had it securely in his hands, without a big explosion. He nodded his head to himself before he sat down at the table and grabbed a couple of tools.

He carefully pried it open as he took a look at the inners. "I can see why they're not the most stable," Oliver said as he grabbed one of the screwdrivers and started messing around with things. "Just a few tweaks and they'll be completely stable until they hit the ground hard. We don't want them exploding in your pockets." He looked up at Kyler in the middle of the tweaking as he shrugged his shoulders. "They'd rather a son of Mars do the fighting rather than the tinkering," he said plainly before he looked down at the smoke bomb again.

[Kyler Atkinson]

Kyler watched as the kid fumbled with the bomb before securing it in his hands. Little clumsy, good to know. Having a mental list of peoples quirks and traits could save his life one day so he always paid attention to the little things. He cocked a eyebrow as he talked though, a son of mars? A tinker? "Exploding in pockets would be pretty bad if I say so. I happen to like everything down there to be intact." yes that sounded like a innuendo but that just how he was. Was he talking about his leg, his chest, something else? Probably all the above knowing him. He was never really one for keeping his thoughts to himself. "Really now? Have they considered that you can do both?" He said looking at the boy with his device "You can be more than one thing in this world."

[Oliver Dubois]

Oliver focused on tightening a few screws before he got a pair of tweezers to adjust a few wires. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kyler mentioned about liking “down there” intact. The statement was so vague, but full of innuendos at the same time. “They don't believe that I can do both,” he said as he started assembling the bomb again. “This is the Legion we're talking about. They're kind of old fashioned. Catch.” He ended his sentence by throwing the fully assembled smoke bomb hoping he had quick reflexes. “All your problems should be fix. You have a top of the line smoke bomb.”

[Kyler Atkinson]

"Well thats stupid" Kyler said with a puff. He hated the idea that people were so, so closed minded. A son of Mars being what, a inventor instead of what, another mindless solider? "old fashion huh? Try 1st century old fashion." he scoffed. Kyler watched as the kid tossed back the bomb, thinking of letting it hit the ground to test it out but reluctantly catching it at the end. He smirked at the small contraption in his hand, rotating it around, studying it. "So, you'd rather hid in the masses then doing something incredible like this" he said holding up the bomb in his hand. "Top of the line smoke bombs are only the first step to what you can do." Oliver seemed to understand be so full of information. Kyler wanted in that brain of his, to see what other ideas were in there floating about. Study him, study his work. "Why don't you do both."

[Oliver Dubois]

"It's the Legion," Oliver said again as he shrugged his shoulders. There was really nothing much he could do in terms of traditions. Children of Victoria and Mars were always on the battlefield no matter what. Maybe it was more superstition than actual tradition at this point, but there wasn't much point in arguing against it. He watched as Kyler caught the smoke bomb and studied it in his hands as Oliver stuck his hands back into his pockets as he stood up. "Trust me, I would love to make smoke bombs and contraptions, but I've had the Centurions threaten me with latrine duty if I didn't stay in the front lines." He shrugged his shoulders. "I want to do both, but I don't know if I can do both."

[Kyler Atkinson]

Its the legion. "Well of course its the legion. But that doesn't mean jack shit." Kyler said with his usual tone of, well, charm. He eyed the bomb in his hand carefully as he thought for a moment. The craftsmanship was, unbelievable for the few moments he had the possession. He didn't know if he could do both. Well that would require him to be in two places wouldn't it, if only, he had a certain friend that had some tricks up his sleeve. Trivia wasn't a respected goddess to the Romans, but to hell if she wasn't a force to be feared. "The Legion is in place to keep Rome safe, always has been. They haven't exactly gotten the idea that there are more ways to keep it safe other than just brute force." He said mostly to himself, or at least thats how he wanted it to sound.

"Well Oliver you've sold me" he said dramatically standing up as he rolled the bomb in his hand and up his arm before catching it and tucking it away in his pocket. Later. For now, his face morphed into his previous deadly smirk, this less mincing and more plotting. "As payment for helping me with my design, I'm gonna help you out. You may not be able to figure out how to do both however I think, I have a plan, only if you are in for it of course, I'd never make you do anything you don't want to. However" he said, giving a slight shrug "The offer won't last forever. I could always pay you back in other methods as well." He said throwing a teasing wink at the boy. "Its your choice. All I'm saying is that you have some serious talent and if the legion is too stupid to realize it, you need to make them."

[Oliver Dubois]

There was more ways to keep the legion safe than just brute force? This piqued Oliver's interest immensely. Surely Kyler didn't mean just smoke bombs, but he didn't have a doubt that the boy had more up his sleeves. Oliver was going to ask more about it until Kyler said he sold him. Sold him? Oliver was silent as he watched the boy play with the smoke bomb a bit before pocketing it. But he had a plan. A plan so Oliver could fight and tinker? "What's your plan?" Oliver asked hesitantly. He figured that it was the safer route than what else the boy was suggesting. "You're not going to blow up the legion, right?"

[Kyler Atkinson]

Ohhh Kyler liked this one. He had spunk to him thats for sure. "That is plan K if you'd let to hear that one. Not the entire camp however, though I can assure you there might be a few casualties." Kyler knew he was only partly joking, after all war was on the horizon, everyone could feel it at least. "My plan is simple you see. I have certain abilities that can make it seem like you are in two places at once. Why they aren't perfect copies they can fool the basic moron." he said very simply "Which will give you more time to make some cool shit. Impress the praetors when we have the next senate meeting. Bang. You get the respect and the time to event more things. What you'll need though is a chance to test them out and prove that they can help. Hows that sound?"