welgaia | [Closed] 'What's up, Doc?'

[Closed] 'What's up, Doc?'

[Avengers Campus, the New York location. At this marvelous facility, Tony Stark has retrofitted one of his father's Stark Industries sites into a new hub for training and innovation. Through partnerships with S.H.I.E.L.D., Pym Technologies, Masters of the Mystic Arts and the new Worldwide Engineering Brigade, the Avengers and their allies will champion the next generation of heroes.

Or so goes the official mission statement, anyway. It's a lot of fancy words, designed to oversimplify a very complicated project. Stark's always been good at that; oversimplification.

Regardless, Otto Octavius does genuinely believe in the Campus's objectives. Superheroes can leave a mess on occasion, but it's all for the good of mankind. Anyone who has a gift, be it magic or simply great intelligence, has a responsibility to use it. In the end, it's all about minimizing those messes, which is where the Campus's technology department comes into play. The better the gadgets these heroes use, the more efficient their missions. Otto's been assigned several little projects, along with a lab to work on them. He gets to design not only new weapons for heroes, but also the more functional items. Like, say, scanning equipment or web shooters.

He may not be the next Tony Stark, but he still takes pride in his work. He comes up with interesting new innovations from time to time.

Living on Campus isn't all it's cracked up to be, though. Every so often, a self-proclaimed supervillain will show up to start trouble, or a newfound power will go out of control. The ground may shake and windows may shatter, and an ominous laser may be seen shooting up into the sky only a few blocks away... Some of the new recruits throw some pretty loud parties in the middle of the night, too. Otto doesn't have much of a social life here himself, apart from getting drinks with some of the other scientists every so often. Hank Pym is a pretty interesting guy.

All in all, it's a balanced AU life.]

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[Oh the balanced life of an AU. Oh, how it will be disrupted by something, or someone tumbling through a window with an audible thump from overhead.]

Ugh- okay- didn't work how I wanted it to. [Otto will likely recognize Spider-Man's voice from above Otto's lab in the catwalks that come with the old retrofitted factory.

There is shuffling as Peter gets back to his feet.]

Uh, hey! Doctor Octavius! Are you down there?

[Spider-Man doesn't wait as he starts downwards. He's awkwardly sliding down one brick-laden wall, a basket tucked against his chest. The little gift basket has seen better days given how crumpled it is.]

[Otto's lab is pretty much abandoned by now. He does have a few assistants who help him out during the day, but they're all part-timing interns who do more observing than actual inventing. Which is fine, really! Otto doesn't mind teaching the younger generation; some of them have a lot of potential. But it does also mean that he's often the one staying late to wrap everything up.

Like the stray coffee cups that he's gathering up at the moment, when Spider-Man comes dropping in. Yes, he does recognize the voice. It has this very particular pitch of youthfulness to it that's difficult for anyone else to mimic, intentional or otherwise. Carefully, he sets the coffee cups back down on a nearby desk and he watches as the wall is traversed.]

Spider-Man. To what do I owe the pleasure?

Just thought I'd drop in! I mean, I haven't really said hello properly or anything! [Peter drops to the floor, landing with more grace than he had managed earlier.]

Everyone is still getting used to campus so I thought you could use a welcoming gift. [He's obviously late about giving this out, but the thought counts right?

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has a reputation to uphold after all. That and May would kill him if he wasn't polite.

He looks at the basket, realizing its current status.]

Uh, sorry, it got a little squashed in travel.

[Once Spider-Man has hit the floor, Otto abandons the coffee cups altogether to stride over to him. That's better than shouting halfway across the lab. He doesn't reach out to take the gift basket yet, instead just sort of eyeing it.]

I wasn't aware it's up to the local superheroes to provide us with welcome gifts.

[Not that he minds. Stark certainly hadn't given him anything. It just feels a little off, somehow.]

Oh- uh, I think it's a just me thing. [The politeness has been drilled into him at this point. He adjusts his hold on the basket to try and turn it to a less squashed side.]

We're all working on the same campus and all, so I thought it'd be a good way to welcome people. [He's relieved the contents of the basket aren't damaged from how he's peering into it.] I tried to find ones that would fit everyone, so it's not super generic or anything.

[He chuckles under his breath, hanging his head a bit. It's a very different attitude from heroes like Iron Man or Thor. Down to Earth and chummy. It's endearing, really.]

Well, thank you very much. Now I feel bad that I don't have anything for you.

Hey! No worries! I mean, we're probably gonna be working on stuff together. That'll be fun.

[He walks over to hold out the basket to Otto, a smile clear in his voice.] You've been looking over my web shooters recently too, so it's also like a thanks wrapped up there too.

[Peter had a lot of homework pile up, and May wouldn't let him get away with ignoring it. So maintenance of his web shooters had fallen a little to the wayside.]

[Once the basket is held out to him, he takes it with both hands and a raised brow. He will admit that he's curious just what sort of gifts Spider-Man of all people would gather up for him.]

Oh, no, no thanks necessary for that. My work is its own reward, and I'm sure you'll agree. We do what we can for the good of mankind, don't we?

[And with that said, he'll peek inside the basket. A bag of fancy coffee, a small toolkit, some pens... And one little octopus plushie?]

[Peter nods eagerly, his smile widening under his mask. The lenses of his mask narrowed somewhat with the expression on his face.]

Yeah, it's about helping people. Doing good. Even when it's hard, we're here to help people.

[The octopus plushie is a shockingly bright yellow, its stitched smile friendly. Peter folds his hands a bit behind his back as he takes in Otto's reaction.] I know the little octopus is kinda dorky, but, he's really soft and you can flip his moods, so I thought it was fun.

[Otto takes the plushie out of basket, holding it in the palm of his hand. It's got little glasses and everything. "Dorky" is one word for it, but then... It does feel really soft, too.]

Thank you very much. I'll find a good place for it here in the lab. [But for now, back into the basket it goes.] Can I... offer you some coffee, or something?

[Spider-Man will have to do something awkward with his mask to drink it, probably, but... At least the offer's out there.]

I know some people think the Spider-Bots are a little creepy, so I thought a 'normal' lab assistant would be nice, right? [The teenager brightens under his mask, at best that reflects in the way he stands a little taller.] Yeah! If you have any leftover or anything, I'd appreciate it.

[He probably shouldn't have caffeine, but the teenager isn't going to turn down coffee.]

[Ah, yes, there's a reason Otto's lab doesn't have any Spider-Bots. He doesn't think they're 'creepy', per se, but he'd rather not have them around. They're very distracting when he's trying to work. This little guy will definitely keep his mouth shut.]

Ah, well, there's still some left in the thermos from earlier today. But I can make it fresh if you'd prefer, it only takes about a minute. [There's state of the art Stark Tech coffee machines in the lab, they're very fast.]

The leftover coffee in the thermos would be more than fine by me. [Peter doesn't want to put Otto out, even if Stark Tech coffee machines work much faster than the one back in the Parker's apartment ever will.]

I kind of interrupted you while you were cleaning up anyway. [The quiet that's fallen over the campus at large means most people have gone home or are attempting to.]

Oh, no, I would hardly call a friendly visit the same as an interruption. One moment.

[He heads over to the coffee corner, setting the gift basket down on a table as he goes. He can put the contents away properly later. For now, he needs to focus on finding a clean mug for their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The interns took all the best ones, but there's an older one with the Pym logo stamped across it still left. It'll do, he supposes. Into the mug, the coffee goes!]

Thank you again.

[He falls into the familiarity of being polite.

Peter takes the moment to look around the lab curiously. He's seen glances of Otto's workspace, but he hasn't had a chance to really look around. He takes a few steps forward just glancing around.] Are there any big projects you're excited to work on? The Pym's are working on a couple of things already last time I was over there.

[Otto doesn't really have anything too interesting lying around in the lab today. Mostly smaller components for the sort of gadget that will fit in the palm of one's hand. There's a bunch of blueprints on one of the desks for bigger things, but those are very much still in blueprint stage.]

Oh, I'll bet they are. And I doubt I have anything quite as groundbreaking to work on. [With the mug filled, Otto returns to Spider-Man's side and holds it out for him to take.] Falcon would like to see his Redwing's arsenal expanded, so I'm trying to see whether I can fit something interesting in there. I can attempt to upgrade his flight goggles some more while I'm at it.

[Peter readily takes the mug with one hand, sticking it to his palm as he raises his other hand to roll up the bottom of his mask up just enough to reveal his mouth and nose. He feels comfortable enough on campus to actually partially unmask.

It is also clear he's been in a fight recently given the fading bruises across his mouth, cheek, and jaw.]

I mean, give it a little time and some kind of inspiration will hit you. [He smiles and now Otto can see that now as the teenager raises the mug up to his lips to take a sip.] I made my web formula, the idea just kind of hit me when I was working on something else.

[On occasion, it's easy for Otto to forget that most of the superheroes on campus are not invulnerable gods. They're just human beings in fancy suits. Those bruises serve as a jarring reminder, and he ends up feeling a little bad for Spider-Man. Perhaps he can find a way to have the suit itself absorb impacts, to limit the damage done to the person wearing it?

Inspiration hitting him, indeed.]

Hmm, yes, that's often how it works. The best ideas are the ones which hit you without warning, much like the apple which bonked Isaac Newton on the head.

With how many people are working together on campus, I'm sure everyone is going to inspire each other, or at least learn to not do what the W.E.B kids are doing.

[Peter is a part of that group, but he has to joke about it a little. Harley Keener's latest potato incident had left Hank Pym grumbling the past week. A potato rolling down campus fluctuating randomly in size across campus was something no one would easily forget.]

Pretty sure no one is going to look at potatoes the same way again honestly.

[Otto laughs at that. He'd seen the potato rolling down the street from the window and it was indeed the sort of sight he doesn't expect to ever see again. Though, he's not ruling out any gigantic eggs in the future.]

Mistakes can often be one's greatest tutor. I'm sure those W.E.B. kids will go far, provided they keep working hard.

Yeah, I'm sure they will too. [Peter's smile brightens a few more watts, proud of his fellow W.E.B kids, glad someone else sees potential in them too. It feels nice to be recognized as Peter and Spider-Man. He's not used to people seeing Peter.] Probably with less accidentally stolen Pym particles. That's up in the air though.

Doctor Strange took on a couple interns, so that'll probably keep stuff lively here too. [Peter had maybe badgered Strange a bit to take Ned on, so he's pretty happy about that too.]

Ah... Yes. [He's a bit less enthusiastic about that as he is about the W.E.B. kids. He can't deny that the 'mystic arts' are real, but that doesn't mean he has to like them.] ... Perhaps they'll be the next group to blow up a potato, then.

[It's a bit unclear to him just how much more those with magic can do, and if indeed it is more, why that doesn't just magically solve all the world's problems. So long as he doesn't look into the Mystic Arts department, he supposes he'll never know.]

Some of the kids in W.E.B are betting they'll bring a potato to life, but you didn't hear that from me.

[Peter offers easily back, taking another sip of the coffee. He finds easy enough humor in the thought. Doreen had been insistent it would be a man eating potato, but Peter didn't want to somehow jinx it into reality.]

I'm just an innocent bystander of a spider variety, no involvement in anything at all. I just say hi to everybody and keep the Spider-Bots Parker made corralled.

[Good grief. Living potatoes don't warm Otto up to the concept of magic any more. It sounds like something out of a horror movie from the 40s and, odd it is, it would not be out of place on the campus. Compared to that, the Spider-Bots aren't so bad.]

Mmh... Are they still replicating themselves?

Thankfully no. I think they're under control about that. [Peter is still trying to live down the campus nearly being taken over by the Spider-Bots. Thankfully that happened before everyone else moved onto the campus beyond the Pyms.] Still a good idea to keep an eye on them juuust in case. There is also the fact they're giving pretty good material for experiments to use, so I can drop those off when I'm not patrolling normally.

[Spider-Man thinks they've got that under control? Oooh boy. That settles it, Otto is never letting any of those things into his own lab. He can manage without them. Still, there's something about those last few words, coupled with the notion that Spider-Man 'made his own web formula while working on something else'.]

If you don't mind my asking, do you have your own lab here on campus as well?

[If Spider-Man is good with new technology and chemistry, which is what it sounds like, why wouldn't Stark give him his own place to work? Otto's never heard of him working in any of the labs, though.]

[Welp, he kind of walked into that one. Peter takes another sip of coffee to give himself a second to think.

He should have just kept attributing things to Peter Parker when he was Spider-Man, but he likes talking about his web formula with people. Pretending he's some jock also feels too wrong even use as a cover.]

Oh, uh- no I don't. I'm not science-y enough for a lab of my own. I kinda just work in the W.E.B one when they have open space. [He shrugs, trying to keep it casual.]

['Not science-y enough'? He doesn't buy that for even a second. Still, he won't actively pursue it. Spider-Man is one of the few superheroes to actively have a secret identity, and Otto's sure there's a reason for that.]

Oh, really? The kids must be honored to work with you, then. [And... forbidden from gushing about it, apparently.]

I usually work when they head out.

Last time I really tried to work there with the W.E.B kids there, Doreen's squirrel kept trying to eat the canisters of web formula I had out. [He cringes a little at the memory. He didn't have time to switch between Spider-Man to Peter, but needed the lab for something. It had been a... weird time.] I do not want to make her angry, making her squirrel kind of explode from the formula would lead to that pretty fast.

[Give him a second, he... does not know how to respond to that. How did this conversation escalate to exploding squirrels? Good grief. Never a dull day on this campus.]

Ah. Yes. I suppose it would. [...] Well, if you ever need a squirrel-free environment to work during the day, I'm sure I can reserve a corner for you in here.

[Avengers Campus keeps proving that placing a bunch of brilliant but eccentric people together in one space is probably a mixed bag of an idea.

Peter perks up considerably, his smile brightening back up. The offer clearly makes his day if anything.

Yeah, he works in the W.E.B labs as Peter, but Doctor Octavius' lab is a whole different ballpark. He wouldn't be bickering with other teenagers for tools or worrying about a stray squirrel getting in his projects.

That and the whole secret identity thing is kind up making things complicated per usual.]

Really-? I'd really appreciate that- I don't want to intrude or anything though. I know you like keeping the scope of your lab a lot more... controlled than the other labs. W.E.B kinda does a bit of everything since there are a lot of specalities. The Pym's are working with the particles and food tech now, and SHIELD-

[Peter scrunches his nose a little at thought of SHIELD. He doesn't dislike them, but its always a hassle with them.]

"Of utmost importance, everything stays secret." [He recites in a monotone flat voice and one sided air quotes given one hand is holding a mug.] Kinda makes it hard to work with them like ever.

Edited 2022-03-27 16:23 (UTC)

[It's true, Otto's lab is a lot more specialized and a lot smaller, as a result. But really, he likes this better than the hectics of a bloated, multifunctional lab. Something like W.E.B. or Pym technologies has too much chaos and not enough focus, he feels.]

Indeed, but that's not the sort of red tape I get involved with. There's nothing particularly classified happening in here that isn't already covered by the default campus NDA. [Which is basically 'what happens on campus stays on campus', regardless of whether information spreads from one facility to another.] My lab is more controlled because I'd rather give one project my full attention and complete it to perfection, as opposed to dozens of projects distracting me from one another. Nothing ever gets done like that. But if it's just one Spider-Man doing his own work from time to time, I can turn a blind eye.

[The thought of working somewhere actually quiet is genuinely enticing to Peter. He enjoys working with the other teens in W.E.B, but he doesn't want them to realize he's spider-man. Nor does he want them to try to 'help' improve his formula.] Again, I really appreciate it.

It'd be nice to have somewhere quiet I could work on my web fluid. I like keeping my formula to myself, so- this works better than bouncing around labs or trying to make it at home.

I've been tweaking the formula a bit anyway, trying to make it last a little longer, it's been kind of a struggle in places to get the right balance.

[If it were certain other superheroes, Otto wouldn't have offered. But then, the heroes Otto doesn't want mucking about in his lab aren't the science type to begin with. People like Thor, for example. Spider-Man has enough respect and humility to him that Otto's sure he won't be a nuisance.]

It disintegrates after a while now, doesn't it?

Right now it lasts two to three hours, depending on how strained the webbing gets. [Peter starts easily enough, clearly having been turning the problem over in his mind a fair bit. He taps his fingers against the mug in his grasp, his expression settling on something thoughtful.]

I was thinking about extending the web's 'life' for if I really need to hold something in place during an emergency or if I need to patch up a serious enough wound on the field.

I was kind of debating changing some of the core chemicals so I could make a variation of the webbing as wound dressing, but thats- a whole different project. [He shakes his head a little bit, trying to not stray too far off topic.]

Edited 2022-03-27 19:09 (UTC)

[Too late, they're already off topic and now Otto is wondering what kind of chemical composition you'd need to dress a wound without agitating it or causing further damage. Even more tricky is how that fits into the grander picture. He clicks his tongue, gaze drifting up towards the ceiling as he mulls it over. Unfortunately, he's not much of a chemist, so he can't help with those sort of details. Only the more practical views.]

Indeed, that is a different project. The sort of composition you'd need for wound dressing wouldn't be suitable for more generic purposes, I'd think. As for the webbing which lasts longer, perhaps even that might need to be kept aside for special occasions. Most New Yorkers would hate to look out their windows and see strands of web that have been dangling from their building for weeks on end already.

The longer lasting thing was my first project, which kinda spawned the second idea. They ended up tied together kinda sorta. [Peter says with a shrug. His mind is already running, so he can't stop himself from rambling.] I've been hurt badly enough I needed to apply the web fluid to a wound until I could get home to take care of it properly. It isn't a great solution, but works if you're bleeding out pretty quickly or need to cover something to keep air exposure to a minimum.

[He gestures a bit with the mug, happy to talk to someone about his thought process.] So, I was trying to lengthen the time between reapplying and not aggravating a wound. I also realized if the webbing lasted longer, I could use it for emergencies where I needed to hold something together. A bridge, a building- a patch job kinda thing.

I also figured if I could change the formula just enough it would be something I could actually give to other super heroes to patch wounds.

Edited 2022-03-28 21:10 (UTC)

[~~Gee, you know who else has a tendency to ramble? Peter Parker. Just sayin'.~~

Otto listens patiently. It all makes sense in theory, there's just very little he can offer in terms of input. This is more the sort of field his old pal, Curt Connors, would know about. Unfortunately, Connors is not part of the campus and thus, they can't ask him for feedback.]

Hmmm, yes, I'm sure they'd appreciate that. Well, if you need a space to experiment with that sort of thing, my door is open. [...] Just try not to shoot webs all over the place, please.

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[Closed] 'What's up, Doc?'

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potato joke about harley goes here

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