Machine Minds

 Marcus Ridley | 43 | Chairman of Technomagic

[kryss-karjann]

After a long day of helping the decursers, Edward decided to be his own version of “supportive” and set up a makeshift bar in the Dining Hall. It was just him bartending behind the counter, since the kitchen was closed it was just him using whatever liquor he had and giving booze to anyone who came up for free. “Never been much of a talker,” he said to the person approaching, placing an empty glass on the counter for them. “But alcohol’s good for some things. What can I get you?”

[marcus-ridley]

Marcus considered whether it was a good idea to be drinking now. Most of him complied, feeling like he needed a break, they all did, but there was still leftover work to do... “Neither am I.” Thank god. He took solace in knowing there were others that disliked saying too much. “Any chance of a cider?” 

[zoeysinclair]

“In light of recent events, I just want to remind people that the counselor’s office is there for you. If you don’t want to set up an official appointment, or you just want to talk to someone, my portion of the office has no appointments needed and you can just walk in and have a chat. About anything really doesn’t even need to be about tragedy. Even if you just want mindless chatter or an illusion to escape into for just a little while or play with an adorable puppy, I’m here.” This attack had been brutal, especially with the hit to the healing center. She just wanted to do her fair share and make sure that people knew there was someone there for them if they needed someone.

[marcus-ridley]

Of course. Of all people to be a continual beam of positivity it would be Zoey. The suggestion of even seeing a puppy did make him consider what he had to do and if it could be moved but alas there were a lot of jobs to be taken care of, “I’d rather not play with a puppy at the moment.” Concerned and worried for her,  he shook his head, “What are you doing, Zoey?” he asked with some suspicion.

[alexmcromwell]

Alex still felt like hell, but she knew she had to get up and get out. As much as she wanted to just stay in bed, it wasn’t an option anymore. So she’d did her best to put herself together, even though she probably still looked like hell. Tugging at her rings as she walked into view, she gave a weak smile to the person in front of her. “Is there anything I can help with?” Asking softly as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

[marcus-ridley]

Surveying all the tech left over, Marcus turned around, surprised to hear a voice. “Oh, Cromwell.” he intoned, pleasantly surprised. Considering the last time they had spoken, he had been quite critical of something she made he wasn’t surprised to find they hadn’t spoken at all since. “Do you mind helping me with these boxes?”

[danielasrivera-deactivated20171]

“Say goodbye to the quad as you know it, not just the quad though. I’ve had quite enough and I’m changing it. Sorry, not sorry?” She felt so blunt when she’d said it and hadn’t truly meant to, but this last attack had been brutal and reminiscent of Valencia. She had a drink in hand as she sat uncaring whether or not anyone disapproved. She lifted the bottle toward the person that had approached silently asking if they wanted to partake in a drink. 

[marcus-ridley]

Wordlessly, Marcus took the bottle and poured himself a glass. No judgement required. He sat opposite Dani and took a long stare at the devastation. How was this happening? “How did it come to this...?” he muttered quietly, half the world away in his own mind. Drawing himself back, he watched the rim of his glass before he took a large gulp, “How are you going to spruce the place up this time, Dani?” 

[marcus-ridley]

technomage:

“Just, you know, some,” Matthew said, knowing any sarcastic remarks he could make would be lost. Thankfully so would any bitterness about the fact that there was a good chance Marcus didn’t actually give a shit as to how he had spent the past years since walking out of the lab. “okay,” he said slowly, “alarm system where? Or are you thinking campus wide?” It was nothing new to try and get as much info as quickly as possible from him, but it did take some thought to remind himself that he wasn’t a student when Marcus was towering over him. 

“Campus wide. A way of warning the students and staff immediately when there’s an attack but also to buy us some time.” He rolled back the conversation a few seconds and wondered what sort of off-handed comment Matthew had made but did not dwell on it for long. “So, lasers?” 

Just as Marcus said the word, a more old school idea popped into his head, something more unexpected that might work better. “Or what about bells...?” 

[slk-t]

[marcus-ridley]

freya-henstridge:

Freya raised an eyebrow and smirked because she hadn’t actually meant anything beyond making a comment… Or maybe she had, after all she had been raised to take over the family’s businesses, to think like a businesswoman and it had been drilled in her head over and over until it was pretty much instinct, she could be laying on bed with Jenna talking about the blonde’s baking and start thinking about how such business were not a smart investment in the books yet the food industry was profitable enough, she was trained to hear ideas and have her mind start running numbers after college and once away from the clutch of her family, she had spent a considerable amount of effort getting herself rid of the habit but all she managed to do was start being able to discard such a thoughts faster. She took a seat and crossed her legs before leaning back on the chair. “Most things are easy to misuse, knives aren’t probably make with the thought of them being used to stab people but yet if you don’t make them someone else will and the outcome would be the same except there’s no gain for you.” She was a little disgusted with how much like her father she sounded. “There’s billions of people in the world some of them are smart people so to think no one else would be able to do what you do is crossing the egotistical line right into delusion land, so might as well do it and try to control it as best as you can so such misuse doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass.” She shrugged casually. “Well I don’t know Ridley, that depends on what you think I’m asking.”

He stopped and listened to her little sales pitch but with utter skepticism. Freya’s whole demeanour had changed, she seemed in her element, her words rolled of her tongue far smoother than usual. If he didn’t have some previous experience of this, he might have been convinced. He couldn’t agree with her right now. 

“I know what you’re asking, Henstridge, and I’m saying no.” Marcus took her arguments in his head and took them apart. “We are in a dangerous area where witches are working with hunters, setting up a company here is... illogical and poorly timed.”One of the reasons why he went into teaching was because he wanted to avoid making things that would be exploited. But he did miss having the freedom to make whatever he wanted, whether innovative or not and he did wonder if there were easier ways to distribute his work to witches who needed it. “You wouldn’t be offering if you could find someone else who can do what I do.”

[marcus-ridley]

tylerxedwards:

Tyler didn’t know how to feel about what Marcus thought. It was almost as if Marcus was trying to post some of the blame on himself. But it kind of made sense, although, it still didn’t get rid of Tyler’s edge against his birth mother. “I can’t help but think, if it was for good reason, why didn’t she try to reach out? Why didn’t she do anything to try to make sure I knew why she did this?” It might have sounded dumb to wonder such thing, but he couldn’t really help it. 

He still couldn’t seem to fully process the face that Marcus had been previously married. It just wasn’t something he had ever pictured. “How long were you married? If you don’t mind me asking.” He questioned. 

It was almost as if Marcus’ words had stopped Tyler from thinking for a moment. He spent pretty much most of his life trying to get any of his guardians to make him feel wanted. Even the ones who really were abusing the system, sent him back. However, here he was, years after actually being stuck in the foster system and his own father had said that. “Not to make this awkward or anything, but I don’t really think I even realized how much that might have meant to me.” He commented. “I guess it’s been something I’ve been waiting to hear for most my life now…” 

Probably for a lot of reasons neither Marcus nor Tyler would ever understand. Marcus could only shrug hopelessly at all his questions, he would rather not make any presumptions about her reasoning - although he was sure it would be for good reason. 

He had never counted the years, that was always her thing, he liked to think there wasn’t any time passing. Looking up to the ceiling he broke it down in his own head. Met Tyler’s mother at 22 ish...  Found his ex at about 26 ... Dated for 3 years... Married till he was... “I was married for about twelve years.”

He nodded, he could empathise. During this whole journey of finding out whether Tyler was his son he had been constantly questioning if it was at all alright for him to associate with Tyler. They’d argued for nights on end about having children and things ended up heading for the worst because of the whole subject and now Tyler was here... “I had never actually thought that I’d be a father.” The whole concept was very foreign, it was caring in another form. “But it’s... almost a relief.” The fact that Tyler was here had lifted a lot of weight from him. A grief that he had been carrying for a long time. 

[marcus-ridley]

text || obi-wan

Luke: I didn't. You just told me :P

Luke: I have all her notes. I gave copies to Jenna and Blake so they could work on the healing end and now I gave a copy to Dani.

Marcus: ...

Marcus: Okay yes, I am worried.

Marcus: Thank you for doing that.

Marcus: How are you, Morgan?

[marcus-ridley]

freya-henstridge:

Freya rolled her eyes playfully. “Don’t be such a drama queen old man you had as many bullet wounds at least this time they’ll be just bruises.” She shook her head with an amused smile. “Oh is that so? Or is that just your ego?” She asked with a teasing tone though she knew that probably wasn’t far from the truth. “Shields? I don’t know I think vests or armor are best.” She said looking at Marcus. “My father owns a private security company too, shields have to be carried around, means the amount of things you can do with your hands become limited but it also reduces the exposure and reducing the risks so I guess it ends up being a matter of personal taste. Too bad you don’t have your own company.” She said looking around the lab. “My father… He’s not a technomage, he’s just a business man that took an opportunity that was presented to him and knew how to develop and the people who he has working for them are competent at best.” She said not outright complimenting Marcus’ skills but she wasn’t denying them either.

“This old man doesn’t heal so well anymore.” he gave her a tired but pointed glare, what’s done was done. Nothing he could do to take it back now, plus he did ask her to do it. Genuinely in some pain, he rubbed at the wounds on his chest but focused back onto the now dented kevlar on the bench. His eyebrow shot up at her suggestion, not expecting her to know anything about this. Setting up a company had been hinted at to him before but he had never liked the idea of it. Far too easy to exploit, he disliked the idea of selling to places he did not know. “Technomagic is easy to misuse, a company only increases the chances of that.” He took a pen and a scrap piece of paper and jotted down some of her comments. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

[marcus-ridley]

danielasrivera:

“He did,” she said with a laugh. “When bugs or dragonflies fly around he’s terrorizing them and trying to punch them away. Even though I try to instill in him that he shouldn’t be trying to harm other living things in that manner.” The was gone out the window now considering that he’d helped with the hunters. “I would love to, but,” she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “the magic used to make Groot isn’t exactly allowed.” She leaned away then with a smile. “I was full on rebelling then. How’s everything on the tech side of the world?”

Marcus broke into a light chuckle again, the image of the small tree swatting away butterflies was quite the opposite to what he envisioned. “That is quite... odd.” he agreed with a slight smile on his face, “Maybe they are bothering him quite a lot.” 

He raised an eyebrow at the reveal of secrets. “Daniela Rivera, how could you?” he questioned with a dramatic gasp. He scratched the side of his face, brows pulling together, what was the best way to answer this question? “It’s... I don’t know. It’s not great but we’ll pull through.”

[marcus-ridley]

Marcus Ridley - Mister Sinister

At first glance both can have quite intimidating impressions on people. They hold cold and judgemental demeanours and can be arrogant and patronising especially in their own fields of science. Driven to constantly innovate and create, their actions are often very precise and calculated. With very similar pasts, including unresolved problems with ex wives and surprise children, they both try to rationalise unemotionally but both end up being deeply affected. 

Marcus is certainly not so morally twisted and evil but sometimes for the sake of discovery and progression in technomagic he will allow more questionable methods. Get past all the emotional distance, the stubborn attitude and never being able to switch off from work and you’ll find someone who genuinely care for others but is never quite sure how to show it. Also secretly enjoys huge theatrics and cheesy names. 

[marcus-ridley]

text @ marcus

Lucy: At least dye the flour some bright annoying color to drive them crazy.

Marcus: Urgh fine. I'll say it was your idea.

[marcus-ridley]

text @ marcus

Lucy: FLOUR and GLITTER?!

Marcus:

Marcus:

Marcus:

Marcus: Glitter would be wasted on these heathens.

[marcus-ridley]

tylerxedwards:

Tyler had moved his gaze back to the ground, trying to just let his brain settle. It was amazing that even now, he could still feel himself tense up at the topic of his mother. All he knew of her was her name and that she left him the day he was born. However, he never took into thought the fact that Marcus had left. “I mean, you both made your decisions that night. Or do you think you leaving is what caused her not to tell you? Leaving her with no choice…” Tyler questioned, a little curious if that was what Marcus had meant by the statement. 

Hearing what Marcus said made Tyler lift his gaze again as he listened. “I um, I didn’t know you had been married before…” He stated, surprised to have heard this fact. Honestly, Tyler didn’t think marriage was something Marcus would be interested in. He didn’t know where to go from here as he paused. “So, do you think you’re happy or anything similar to that, knowing you have son?” Honestly, he didn’t know where that question came from, but it was out there now and he couldn’t turn back. 

Marcus breathed deeply through his nostrils, both anxious and uncaring. He liked to believe he did not care what others thought of him. He liked to think any comments could ping right off him. Tyler had hit the nail on the head. “I’m saying I think my sudden absence in her life caused her to leave you. Why would she want a child from someone who clearly showed no care for her.”

He wished he could give Tyler better, softer answers, reasonable choices. His divorce had been a while ago now, he thought he could have clambered over that wall by now but he was stuck. “Not many people do know.” Who did he confide in? 

“I am...” Marcus swallowed his words and stopped there, landing himself a heavy laden word to describe how he felt. “I am sad that I have almost backstabbed my ex-wife. I’m sad that I have missed a lot of your life.” Flowing naturally into another long pause after his conclusion. He thought again. “You know, in times like these, I  am glad that you are here.|”

[marcus-ridley]

technomage:

“Pulled the copper, actually, but there was some twisting involved,” he said, “Are they for anything specific? You got some cats to annoy? Because cats versus laser hallways require very different kinds.”

Not needing to ask, Marcus went over to him and looked closer at the wire he had made absently, picking it up between his fingers and beginning to think of where this might be useful. “You think I’m gathering lasers to annoy cats?” he asked with brows raised in surprise, “You know me so well.” Dryly, Marcus, huffed, putting down the wire and leaning his head into his hands for a moment. “I’m thinking about a more efficient alarm system. You know about some of the Commonfolk technologies, correct? I’m thinking of something quite similar.”

[marcus-ridley]

text || obi-wan

Luke: No need to worry about foxglove shortage. I got Dani on it.

Obi-Wan:

Obi-Wan: How did you know I was worrying?

Obi-Wan: Did any of Tess' previous notes ever turn up? Presuming that she must have made some. Even older experiments?