fourth floor common room: sunday afternoon

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

One reason that Nathan was glad to be back in the dorms was that the walk back from the preserve was a lot shorter. He didn't have to take a ferry and it meant he had more time to do things like flopping down in the common room to eat a late breakfast and work with his newly received tablet. The reading wasn't going very well but he'd gotten pretty good with using the apps that played movies and television shows. He couldn't really pick a favorite but the cooking shows he found were pretty fascinating.

The common room television was off but Nathan's tablet was on while he watched an older woman bustle around her kitchen while she talked about what she was making today. Every so often he took a bite of the omelette he'd made himself but most of his attention was on the show and trying to remember the various ingredients and instructions so he could maybe give the meal a try later.

He had a brief thought of what Celia or Arran or Jessica or his grandmother would think of right now, using technology and not worrying about if people saw his tattoos or his scars. Jessica would try to kill him considering she was a Hunter. Celia would probably be impressed but she'd keep that to herself. Arran would want to play with the tablet and his grandmother would...well, he wasn't sure.

Nathan sighed and put them out of his mind. He couldn't think of them now. They were gone and he was here.

[Open common room]

Comments

[doesnotkneel]

"...Is that a very small television?" Edward inquired, squinting over his shoulder.

He'd picked up the television thing already - but the rest of it, he hadn't seen yet. Too busy trying to sell clothes to NPCs</> passers-by, and all that.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Barry called it a tablet," Nathan said, glancing up at Edward. "I don't know exactly what it means but he said it played movies and television shows. He gave it to me."

It was more to help with his reading but he found this a lot more enjoyable.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward pulled a face. "Barry did, did he?" he said. "Lot more helpful than he's ever bothered to be with me."

And the man was his bloody roommate.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Maybe he was just having a good day?" Nathan posed, frowning. "What's he done to you?"

[doesnotkneel]

"Ah, we're sharin' quarters," Edward said, "and he's a right git, is what he is. Seems to think I'm of inferior stock, or something of the sort."

Which is to say Barry had told Edward not to touch his stuff because he didn't know how it worked and Ed had taken offense, but you know that thing about the pronunciation of potatoes.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Really?" That drew a frown from Nathan and he glanced down at the tablet. "I'm no smarter than you are so does that means he thinks the same of me and felt sorry for me?"

He stopped the television show with a tap of his finger.

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

Ichabod entered the common room to make some tea, when he spotted Nathan staring at a piece of technology with a screen.

"Is that a computer?" he asked, feeling a little proud that he was no longer completely ignorant.

[doesnotkneel]

"I wouldn't put it past him," Edward said. It wasn't slander if you thought it was true, right? "But ah, not to worry too much about it. He didn't ask you to pay for it, did he?"

[doesnotkneel]

"No, it's a tablet," Edward called.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"He didn't." Thankfully. "He just said it was an old thing he had lying around that he wasn't using and offered to give it to me. I've never had anything like this and I decided to be selfish."

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Ichabod raised an eyebrow, looking at Edward. "And what does a tablet do?" The man was clearly just trying to show off, and for all Ichabod knew he could be making things up.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"A tablet but I think they're pretty much the same thing," Nathan admitted, glancing up. "It's just smaller in size. I can carry it around with me, if I want."

[doesnotkneel]

"Shows films, apparently," Edward said, "And television shows."

Yes. Yes, he was showing off.

[doesnotkneel]

"His loss if he's going to part with something valuable this easily," Edward judged. He might not be a thief of any sort, but come now, if it was just given to you, would there be any reason to say no? "Fool's him, then."

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

"A small computer, yet bigger than a cell phone. Can you find the Wikipedia on it?" Ichabod asked, because the Wikipedia it was his favorite reason to use the computers in the library.

Technology could be scarily tempting once you got used to it.

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

"I see," he replied, not sounding impressed. "So, have you explored the technological advancements of this time, then?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I think he gave it to me to help me learn how to read," Nathan admitted, a little embarrassed about that. He knew he shouldn't be but still. "It's hard though and makes me tired."

[doesnotkneel]

"Here and there, as I come upon them," Edward said, fighting the urge to give Ichabod a good whack around the ears. Then again, he usually did when the man was around, and not even in his irreverent worldview did he think doing that to a man of such high standing was a good idea.

He also didn't want to admit he hadn't tried them that much largely because they relied so much on letters.

So he shrugged and said, "Odd thing, the future, isn't it?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Wikipedia?" Nathan asked, having not heard of that yet. "What's that?"

[doesnotkneel]

"It's hard enough staring at something that... bright," Edward said, squinting over at it. "Hasn't he heard of books, or does he think those are below him, as well?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I didn't ask," Nathan said, shrugging. "Not that I'm having any luck with books either, though. There's just a lot of words in them."

As books tend to have.

[doesnotkneel]

"Rapunzel offered to sit down and help me figure out the words," Edward admitted, after a moment. "I've yet to take her up on it."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Four offered to help me too but I don't know if I really want to put him through the trouble," Nathan admitted with a shrug. "Everyone who's tried with me has given up."

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

"It is indeed," Ichabod said, finding that in this at least they agreed. "Both in matters of society, technology and scientific study."

[not-called-icky.livejournal.com]

"It is an encyclopedia that has been written on the internet," Ichabod said. "Most things relevant to this time can be found there, so it is of great use." If you could read, that is. "Where have you found this tablet? What purpose do you use it for?"