Donnie explores Clara's lab and then her labratory

<Clara>: [ready yourselves]
Donnie readies his body]

<Clara>: It is a nice ol day at the town of the academy, and class has just ended at the academy. Clara is about to head back to her lab, after another fun school day involving being in the nurse's office.

<Donnie>: [is that my cue or should I wait?]
<Clara>: [come in whenever brah]
<Donnie>: [gotcha]

Donnie looks around the nurse's office, and after inquiring some staff about directions manages to catch up with Clara

<Donnie>: "Claaraaaa! Hey!"
<Clara>: "Oh" she is surprised, a bit of a delayed reaction. "Hey Donnie"
<Donnie>: "I wanted to see if you were doing better."

Clara begins floating up a bit, almost on instinct from flying home every day
<Clara>: "Oh the nurse said I just have exhaustion issues, just need to get some rest is all"
<Clara>: "I'm fine" she says offhandedly, having too much pride
<Clara>: "How are you Donnie?"

<Donnie>: "Uh, been better. I needed to take a nap, too, after the gym class."
Donnie hides a sly grin under his mouth, his master plan of humoring her forming in his mind
<Donnie>: "If you're doing better, can we hang out now? I wanna see your ar.. argi-, uh... Dinosaur!"

<Clara>: "Sure!" she tries to sound more upbeat
<Clara>: "...need a fly over there?"
Donnie looks over to his otter and opens his mouth to speak, but then holds his tongue for a moment.
<Donnie	"...Yeah, that'd be great!"

Clara takes Donnie's hand, they both float into the air feeling weightless. Donnie does not feel the falling sensation he would expect. She begins slowly hovering to get him used to it
Donnie kicks his feet a little as they hover, giggling to himself
<Donnie>:"Like half the people here can fly but they all do it so different!"
<Clara>: "Its not really flying. Its more like not falling, I guess"
Clara spares him the details of how gravity works

Clara begins flying high above the city, giving Donnie the birds eye view of the place from up above
<Donnie>: "Ooh yeeaaah. Because you control gravity, right?"
Donnie looks around with the typical form of childlike wonder you'd expect of a person viewing an area from a birds eye view, especially an actual child
<Clara>:"Yep"
<Donnie>:"It's always been one thing to fly, but to feel weightless is really cool..."
Donnie is still staring below him, rather awestruck

Clara takes Donnie down to the beach, its a bit chilly this time of year but it looks nice. The shack you all remember sits there, even the less than impressive blue scooter thingy is there
Donnie is tempted to make a comment but receives a small pinch on the arm from his otter, their little "Don't do that" signal they use.
Clara lands down gently on the beach in front of the shack

<HabeusKaiju>: oi]
<HabeusKaiju>: my scooter is great]

<Clara>: "Well, here's the place." she makes it to the door, opening it lazily and throwing her backpack in the house with similar laziness

<Donnie>:"The beach looks really pretty..."
Donnie seems to say the comments to himself as he looks out at it, right until he makes it inside. He doesn't carry around a backpack, so he walks by where Clara threw hers and spends his time looking at the house interior

<Clara>: The house is... tiny and quite frankly a mess. Looks like she hasn't cleaned it or washed the dishes since Hab went away.
<Clara>: Even her bed looks like she hasn't touched it. Unsurprising honestly

Donnie and the otter exchange mutually worried glances, and then defeated shrugs. Neither can think of a way to address this that doesn't seem too soon.

<Clara>: Donnie can hear a ruffling somewhere in the house, like feathers. Clara is looking around the kitchen for something in the meantime
Donnie and the otter nod and split up, searching for the source of the noise.

<Clara>: They see a shadow of some creature, about the size of a chicken, fly between a cupboard
Donnie gets some of his usual playful demeanor back, chasing after the mysterious creature

<Clara>: the creature moves juuuuust out of sight of donnie, but enough for donnie to follow it
Donnie determinedly follows after it, smiling as he hunches over like a cat on the hunt

<Clara>: eventually, Donnie can see it in plain view as it jumps out.
<Clara>: The lizerdberd is colorful like it came from the tropics.
Donnie immediately pounces and goes into his instinctual play-wrestling with the bird
<Clara>: the bird makes a laughing caw, play fighting with donnie and making light not-painful nibbles at him

Donnie giggles and lets the bird win, lying down to expose his belly
<Donnie>: "Hey Claaaraaa, I found the dinosaaauuur!"
<Clara>: the lizerdberd playfully does a victory thing on him
Clara looks in. "Oh, you already got acqainted!"
<Donnie>: "Hahah, yeah! You said his name was.. Archie, right?"
<Clara>: The berd nods, making a chirping noise

Donnie giggles and scratches the berd's head
<Clara>: The berd does what you assume is a purring noise, or the lizerdberd equivalent, then flies off of his chest and lands on Clara's shoulder as she comes in
<Donnie>: "I remembered because sometimes I read a comic with my aunt and the main character is named Archie, too!"
Clara has never read Archie, but obviously Archie has in its free time

Donnie brushes himself off and kicks himself up onto his feet
<Clara>: "So, ready to head down?"
<Donnie>: "Sure!"

<Clara>: "Right this way" she says, opening up the closet and revealing a small room which has a circular piece of metal looking like a futuristic elevator with a glowing blue light in the center of it
<Donnie>: "Woooooaaaaah..."
Donnie seems a little nervous to take the first step in, and once he does walks rather slowly onto the platform
Clara steps in casually onto the platform

<Clara>: the platform makes a light ping noise, then it begins lowing down into a tunnel that stretches along for a while
<Clara>: eventually the elevator platform lowers down into a large open room, plated with sterile chrome and white and blue. It looks like what a kid would imagine when he thinks of a laboratory, experiments and computers and gadgets and all kinds of science all around them.
<Clara>: Machines line the walls, and the largest of which sits in the center of the room, seems to be some kind of containment device. Inside it, as you can see through the windows, is a small bright orb that exudes light like a star

Donnie is a kid and didn't expect anything of this magnitude, he had pictured more of a small workshop in the backyard. He touches the tips of his fingers to confirm the metallic walls to himself, everything seems so surreal.
Clara smiles knowingly
<Clara>: "Ya like it?"
Donnie mutters very faintly under his breath, after a little bit of looking around in a daze he seems to get a hold of himself and looks back to Clara with a look of surprise

<Donnie>:"You /made/ all this!?"
<Clara>: "Not all of it, but most. I have the maintenance bots help put things together as well, can't do everything by hand you know"
<Donnie>: "...You can make /robots/?"
<Clara>: "Yeah" she smiles "In fact me and Gwyd have been working together on a project for a while. You might remember it" she begins walking over to a table
Donnie 's grin slowly gets wider and wider. He was so used to living in some sort of surreal world of magic. But now, this whole scifi movie-esque world is beginning to sink in, too.

<HabeusKaiju>: remember? we watched ET with it, Donnie]
<Donnie>: [but it wasn't REAL, hab!]
<HabeusKaiju>: that actually happened though]
<Donnie>: [I thought you meant the movie]
<Donnie>: I forgot about asimov, actually]

<Donnie>: "Ooooohmygodohmygodohmygaaaawd this is so aaaaawesoooooome"
<Clara>: On the table is what looks to be a work in progress of putting together a robotic human. An android specifically, with a head that Donnie can remember belonging to Asimov the robot head that was in his room once

<Clara>: -Greetings, Donnie- Asimov says, sounding as if he's just come back online
Donnie runs over to closely inspect Asimov
<Donnie>: "Oooohmygooooood! I remember you now! You were in my room!"
<Clara>: -Correct- he says with a happy tone. Clara looks at Asimov, feeling like he shoulda told her that before
<Clara>: -As you can see, I will be more than a head soon-
<Clara>: "Gwyd did some magic, gave him a spirit. Now I'm going to finish the job and make him a person like you and me"

<Clara>: Asimov moves his arm, testing it around
<Donnie>: "Wait, so he's a robot /and/ magic?"
<Clara>: "Yep. Me and Gwyd are working together on it. He's a lot better at this sort of stuff than he claims"
<Clara>: -I am capable of the same magical acts as my father-creator Greenway, as I am part of his spirit in a way-
<Donnie>: "That's. So. COOL!"
<Donnie>: "Gwydion can do like, /anything/! And you're also a robot!"
Donnie working up towards giddy fangirl levels of excitement

<Clara>: -It is a gift, yes. Once I am completed, I intend to put this to good use-
<Clara>: "You said you wanted to go see China, right?" she says over to Asimov. -A trip around the world would be nice. To see and feel firsthand for the first time-
<Clara>: -I would enjoy company along the way, but I understand that the s-men have duties-
<Clara>: -But I must rest. Continue testing the sleep program you installed for realism. I hope to see you soon, Donnie-
<Donnie>: "Bye Asimov!"

<Clara>: Asimov closes its eyes, snoozes
<Clara>: "Now, wanna see something else?"

Donnie 's attention is quick to wander, as soon as Asimov's eyes are shut Donnie's are darting around the room in an attempt to see everything (and thusly, nothing)
<Donnie>: "Yeah! Ohmygod there's so much /stuff/!"

Clara smiles, leads Donnie over to a tank. Inside the tank, there appears to be a large slug like creature with spider like legs and a small mushrooms growing out of it
Donnie presses his face against the glass, smiling wide

<Clara>: "This here's a little experiment I did, working with genetics"
<Clara>: "It used to be a forest mushroom"
<Clara>: "Did a bit of splicing, a few generations later you get what you see before you. Only of its kind"
<Donnie>: "Wooaaaah. A walking... bug... slug... spider- uh.... I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS BUT IT'S AWESOME!"

<Clara>: The fungal slug spider thing shuffles about, exploring its little tank. She puts in some food for it, and it eats it up in a way you can only describe as absorbing it into its body
<Donnie>: "Wooooaaah. What's it doing?"

<HabeusKaiju>: genetic enginering]
<HabeusKaiju>: good ony ya]

<Clara>: "That's how it eats, actually. It still decomposes food, but it carries it inside of it like a stomach"
<Clara>: "Veeeery slowly. It takes 2 weeks to properly get finished with something"
Donnie watches in silent fascination, putting his hands against the glass as well

<Clara>: "Now, I don't think I'm allowed to let anybody in here without showing them the star" she motions to the large container mentioned earlier
<Donnie>: "Wait, a star?"
Donnie 's attention is broken as his gaze follows Clara's gesture, the realization slowly taking over
<Donnie>: "...a real star?"

Clara nods walking over to the container. Its a large machine, has a continual humming to it. Through the glass you can see the floating ball of light in the center of it
<Clara>: "A neutron star, to be exact. The tiniest kind of star, also one of the more dense and heavy ones."
<Clara>: "I collaborated with Cepheus the star fella who shows up at the school sometimes to create a container for it, utilizing both of our powers"
Donnie is slack-jawed, looking at the container in disbelief

<Clara>: "The research I can gather from this is priceless, and I fully intend upon releasing everything I've learned to the public. It could revolutionize entire fields"
<Clara>: "I have a AI program designed solely around collecting data and sending it out to my colleagues"
<Clara>: "Also, this is how I power the power suits. I managed to get in contact with a scientist named Mossler, who unfortunately is in prison at this time, who came up with a way to collect energy from it"
<Clara>: "As well as powering the rest of the lab"
<Clara>: "Its the most important piece I have in here, without a doubt"

Donnie blinks a few times in disbelief
<Donnie>: "A whole star..."
<Clara>: "Yep." she says nonchalantly, used to working with it every day
Donnie looks around the lab again. Everything still looks fascinating but it all seems quaint in comparison now

<Donnie>: "A whole star, and a mushroom that's also a bug, and a magical robot, and iron man suits, and, and..."
<Clara>: "And this is why you should make sure you study your sciences when you're nearing my age" she chuckles
<Donnie>: "I, you... you've done so /much/! It's, I- I dunno, just..."
Donnie gives a somewhat overhwelmed shrug
<Donnie>: "Wow."

<Clara>: "My power is science, Donnie. Its what I do."
<Clara>: "This isn't even the end of the tour"
<Donnie>: "Really?"
Donnie looks at his otter with a "What have we signed up for" look

Clara nods, leading him over to another table. On it is a large black metallic orb, obviously some kind of machine or robot with panels and the like, that begins to look similar to an eyeball when you see its glowing red 'iris'.

<Clara>: "This.... is my most recent work. Been staying up more than I shoulda" she looks over it. The large robotic eye is about the size of a big beach ball.
<Clara>: "I call it Oculus. After.... well you know what happened I decided we needed a defense system. Something that can deter any surprise attacks or assaults"
Donnie feels a little intimidated by the color scheme, staying close to Clara as they walk

<Clara>: Oculus is intimidating to say the least, threatening even.
<Clara>: "It is based on sensors, having smaller eyes planted all around a chosen area or floating high above the sky. The eyes are made to detect just about anything one needs to detect. Seeing, hearing, smelling, even tasting."
<Clara>: "Once it catches sight, the main Oculus device goes out and puts the threat into submission non-lethally"
<Clara>: "The brotherhood and other creeps won't be able to catch us off guard once I finish this"
Donnie gets a little more solemn, touching his mouth with the tip of his finger

<Donnie>: "Was it that seal who, uh... inspired, this?"
<Clara>: "...yes"
<Donnie>: "...It sucks to feel like you can't help people."
<Clara>: "Well... now I can"

Clara tries to change topic quickly
Donnie begins to see the possible beginnings of bright, safe future in Oculus. Also a vague sense of helplessness, which is pushed to the side.
<Donnie>: "...I'm glad, Clara."

<Clara>: "Anyway, I got one last thing I want to show ya"
Donnie looks back up, snapping out of his little moment
<Donnie>: "Oh, okay!"

Clara leads him to a testing room, where she has several things set up. Gadgets and gauntlets and a large device that looks like some kind of laser
Donnie has always particularly liked gadgets and playthings, he looks around with great curiosity.
<Clara>: "Just a few things I was toying with. Tinkering and stuff"
<Donnie>: "All this stuff looks really cool."
<Clara>: "The main thing I wanted to show you was an old design never got to try"
<Clara>: "Inspired by my dad... well the other one I mean."

Clara pats the large laser looking device
<Clara>: "I finally cracked the code, so to speak. Micro-oxygen, incredibly strange and dangerous stuff that my dad could use at a whim"
Donnie internally acknowledges his confusing relationship with his father, then turns his attention to the device
<Clara>: "I remember him saying it could cut right through anything, never explained how or why"
<Clara>: "But, I figured it out. In small charges, anyway"

Clara presses a button, a sheet of what looks to be incredibly thick and strong metal appears at the end of the testing range
Donnie has a good idea of what's about to happen, but is thrilled to know it's going to happen for real right in front of him.

<Clara>: "You see, its smaller than average oxygen atoms. Everything is made up of atoms built up in structures."
<Clara>: "In a way, meshes."
<Clara>:"Micro-oxygen is small enough to go through those meshes, and with enough of them it can completely split them apart"
<Clara>: "Making it able to cut through just about anything"
Donnie nods, most of this stuff flying over his head.

<Clara>: "I had no idea that micro-oxygen existed until my father 'discovered' it"
<Clara>: "But, to sum it all up"
<Clara>: "It can basically break anything at a molecular level"
<Clara>: "Even things you'd think are indestructable"
<Clara>: "Like this metal I borrowed from the school that was crafted for the bunker there, meant to withstand just about anything"

Clara revs up the machine

<Donnie>: "Oooh. I- OOOOH."
Clara does everything but press a big red button on it
<Clara>: "Wanna start it up?"
Donnie looks back and froth between the button and Clara with growing excitement
<Donnie>: "Really!?"
Clara nods with a grin
Donnie runs over and gives a satisfyingly dramatic amount of force onto the button with his thumb

<Clara>: The machine starts off, the end of the barrel begins forming a cloud of pale red around its tip. Then it shoots forward a laser like beam, bright yellow and dark red. It clashes against the metal, slicing right through it as if it was a tissue and making a rather impressive series of contained explosions along the cut. The metal has been completely split.
<Clara>: the machine revs down, unable to maintain the micro-oxygen for longer than the short burst

Donnie silently watches in wide-eyed awe as the machine does it's work
<Clara>: The metal, after cut, falls to the side in two pieces, the area cut slowly disintegrating after the introduction of the micro-oxygen
<Donnie>: "Woooaaaaah."
Donnie looks at the metal disintegrating with that type "ew gross but also extremely interesting" type of expression kids love to make

<Clara>: the wall behind it also has a rather large hole in it, clearly she hasn't tested this much. luckily, this is far underground
<Clara>: "Ya like it?"
<Donnie>: "Yeah! I never evem know about misco... mint... micro-oxygen, until now! And it's really cool!"
Clara chuckles happily
<Clara>:"Alright, I'll show you oooooone more thing, then I need to get to work, alright?"
<Donnie>: "Hahah, okay!"

Clara takes him along to a capsule. In it is a floating green crystal, you can feel a heat emanating from it. Its being held in stasis by gravity, clearly not meant to touch ANYTHING around it.

<Donnie>: [...is that the crystal from broventures?]
<Clara>: [Yep]

<Clara>: "This here's something Gwyd brought me. Apparently some kind of anomaly. Any metal or machine it touches apparently comes to life and starts building itself into a robot with other pieces"
<Clara>: "Told me to research it for him"

<Donnie>: "...OOOOOH MY GAAAAAWWWD"
<Donnie>: "ME AND GWYDION BEAT UP THE ROBOT THIS MADE WHEN WE WENT TO DISNEY!"
<Clara>: "Really? I never /did/ get the whole story about that"
Donnie does a little hop to channel his enthusiasm towards his newfound relevance in all of this.
<Donnie>: "Yeah! It became a giant monster of a ton of preidents, and it took over It's A Small World when we were riding there, and, and..."
<Donnie>: "...it was really scary, that was during the time where I didn't have No- uhm, my powers, and..."
Donnie tapers off
<Donnie>: "But I didn't realize he gave the thing to you!"

<Clara>: "Well, I am making some progress with it. Not much to speak of, though. I think I'll get it figured out where it came from and how it does this soon"
<Clara>: "Someday, at least"
<Donnie>: "Coooool. It was really confusing when we found it, I didn't get a very good look at it then..."
Donnie doesn't dare to press his face up to the glass this time, the heat emanating off of it being taken as a warning sign

<Clara>: "Yep!"
<Clara>: "Now I get to look at it"
<Clara>: "When I crack this here code, just imagine the progress I could make if this is a purely scientific entity"
<Clara>: "Defies just about everything we've known so far, but then again so has magic and mutants"

<Donnie>: "..is there a difference between like, magic, and science and.. whatever mutants are?"
<Clara>: "Its... hard to explain"
<Clara>: "I don't really know that well myself, and neither does anyone else"
<Clara>: "Sort of the current global scientific goal. Figuring out the mutant gene"

Donnie ponders this, rubbing his chin. Not because rubbing his chin helps or anything, he's just picked up that that's what people do when they need to think about stuff.
<Clara>: "People have been able to mess with it in some cases, but how it works or why is still beyond us"
Clara sighs a little bit
<Clara>: "Well, no use in fretting over that when we got all this"

<Donnie>: "Yeah. There's so much stuff! I bet one day you'll be like, like... uh, whatsis name... the stretchy guy! From Fantastic Four! In the comics he's like the best scientist in the wooorld!"
<Clara>: "Maybe not the best" she tries to act humble "But thank you"
<Donnie>: "Well, you're the best /Ive/ seen!"
<Clara>: "Well I try" she smiles
<Clara>: "Now, want something to eat before I send ya back? I need to get back to work on all this"

Donnie smiles at Clara, and looks around at all the gadgets and such again. He contains his usual instinct to mess with everything shiny and fun-looking.
<Donnie>: "Oh, yeah. I didn't even realize I was hungry with all the cool stuff down here."
<Clara>: "Got anything in mind?"
<Donnie>: "Hmm..."
<Donnie>: "Do you have french bread pizzas?"

<HabeusKaiju>: nope]
<HabeusKaiju>: just meat[
<Clara>: [I AM THE WOMAN OF THE HOUSE NOW]
<Donnie>: [hab:0 dibbles:1]
<HabeusKaiju>: dont carry on my tradition....]
<HabeusKaiju>: I see how it is]
<Clara>: [shhh hab I just wanted to try stuff out]

<Clara>: "I think so. Went shopping recently" she heads to the elevator
<Donnie>:"My-, we-, I don't them all the time, because I usually forget about them. But they're one of my favorites!"
Donnie is horrible at not bringing up his mother in conversations, especially about food. Flipside is a bretty good cook.

<Clara>: [of course she is a good cook. how do you think she maintains her weight]
<HabeusKaiju>: dohohoho]
<Donnie>: [junk in the trunk]
<Donnie>: [I wonder if we can get a weight to reference sometime]
<HabeusKaiju>: Lucky you are adopted, dont want those genetics]

<Clara>: "Well, c'mon then. I'll make you some"
Clara stands on the elevator platform
Donnie instinctively runs past Clara for delicious food, but then slows down upon realizing there is not much to gain from this course of action.

<Donnie>: [lucky I maybe-sorta-probably-knobodyreallyknows got Greene Genes]
<Clara>: [greene genes are pretty superior. he's a rather well off fellow genetically and his dad has the most glorious stache in the galaxy]
<Clara>: [well, ignoring that unlovability is now in his genes]
Donnie does not know who his father is, but he hopes he may one day have facial hair comparable to his potential lineage]

Clara goes up the elevator with him, and then goes to the kitchen to start making the pizza
Donnie looks around at the mess that is the upstairs again, pondering why robots have not been employed to keep it clean. After some murmerigns between him and Umbra they begin to help pick up trash and generally tidy up their immediate surroundings

Clara eventually finishes making the pizza, putting it on the table
<Clara>: "Alright, its dooooone"
Donnie perks up at the sound of cooking being done. He has the small realization that if he wasn't here, Clara might have eaten dinner alone. He hates when that happens to him.
<Donnie>: "Oh! Coming!"

Donnie scampers into the kitchen, jumping up, sliding out a chair, and landing on it in a rather smooth motion.
Clara serves the pizza to him and herself, taking a seat across form him
Donnie begins eating, trying to come up with dinner table smalltalk. As long as theyre's food in his mouth though, he's not obligated to speak, right?
Clara is of the similar mindset
Clara continues eating, rather happily
Donnie lightens up at Clara's apparent happiness, wiping his mouth with a napkin after he swallows.

<Donnie>: "So, you were tired from working on Oculus?"
<Clara>: "...yeah"
<Clara>: "I've just had a lot on the mind"
<Donnie>: "Yeah, I think I know where you're coming from."
<Donnie>: "It's nice to have people around to help your sort out sometimes, though. Or... distract m- you, when you need it."

Donnie feeds a piece to Umbra, Donnie letting himself watch him chew to avoid the need for eye contact.
<Clara>: "Yeah... its just been hard on me recently." she sighs "But its just something I have to live with now"
Clara blinks, she suddenly realizes she hasn't slept in... jesus how long /has/ it been
<Clara>: "...I think I need to sleep"

Donnie realizes this is why he came over in the first place
Donnie eats the last slice of pizza, patting his stomach with a content sigh as he finishes
<Donnie>: "Yeah, I think I should go home about now."
<Clara>: "alright, seeya later Donnie" she ruffles his hair a bit
<Donnie>: "Heheh. Seeya Clara. I had fun in your lab!"

Donnie pushes his chair out and hops to his feet
<Donnie>: "I'll see you at school!"
<Clara>: Archie lands on his head, gives him a quick peck with his beak thingy, then flies off happily
<Clara>: "Seeya!"
Donnie giggles as he waves and tp's out, back to his home.
Clara cleans up the kitchen, then basically passes out in her bed

<Donnie>: [GOOD END(?)]
<Clara>: [yep]
<Donnie>: I will get logs for ww]
<Donnie>: wait, shit, that's right]
<Donnie>: you're supposed to start right when the rp begins if you want to get them all]
<Donnie>: ...it's been a while since I ever tried lumberjack duty]
<Clara>: [whoop whoop]
<Gwysion>: hey]
<Gwysion>: howd it go?]
<Clara>: [went well[
<Donnie>: [bretty gud]
<Donnie>: [I saw me a lab]
<Gwysion>: labs are fun, did you play fetch with it?]