hadriel | ✫ 004 [video]

[It's been a while since Alphys was on the network just on her own- she doesn't tend to get on video in front of a bunch of people except for emergency situations (like when the Null flooded the city last year). But now the feed starts with her hands pressed over the camera as she arranges her phone, pulling back after a few seconds to show her more in frame. Seems she was still setting up the recording. She's sitting at her desk in the Lab, the chalkboard behind her blank, giving a little wave.]

So uh, h-hey there, Hadriel! This is Alphys. Or well, I'm Alphys. Dr. Alphys, but just Alphys is fine, uh--

[She pulls at some papers on her desk to try and make herself look busy. Why is doing announcements so hard?]

Anyway! So some of you might, uh, know me in that I run the lab here. Kind of. I help run it with a lot of people! But uh, m-my specialty is actually in mechanical engineering, and uh, more specifically robotics. And uh, I've noticed recently there are actually a lot of robots here? All of a sudden?

[She waves her hands in front of her, palms out from her chest.]

Not that it's a bad thing! And I, uh, totally want to help- I've done repairs on plenty of robots here before and I have some, uh, s-spare parts and stuff like that, but... I was wondering if anyone else has experience in, uh, that sort of thing? I used to know a couple of people, but I think, uh... just about everyone's gone home.

[Alphys looks down for just a moment, her head spines wilting, before she perks back up with her trademarked lopsided smile.]

So uh! If anyone knows anything or just wants to lend a hand or is a new robot and needs something just let me know!! I'm down at the lab! So! Yeah! Bye!!!

[And then there's a few more seconds of her grabbing her phone and just kind of squeezing it until the feed cuts. Might've been nice to know where the lab is, but. She tried.]

[ooc: Please feel free to put action prompts in here of characters coming down to see her as well!! Just trying to keep it all in one space.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Really? I'd love to be able to do something. It seems like you're all working really hard over there, and I'm not a scientist or anything, but - well, I've always been interested in that kind of thing.

[He looks a little excited too, wanting to help Alphys out with his meager skills.]

[Shhh, Adam, you're talented and she loves you, only nice things about best boy in this lab.]

No, I-- I remember! This would be perfect. A lot of repairing is also making sure the parts we don't have to replace look nice. Usually they can tell you what they're supposed to, uhm, l-look like too, which is a huge plus. I'm sure you'd be great!!

I guess in that way it'll be easier than working on cars. They can actually tell us what needs to be done - at least, if they know.

[Sure saves time, anyway.]

Thanks for saying that. I want to help you all out, if I can. Do we really have that many robots here?

[She nods, obviously confident in him, and to answer his question.]

A bunch just arrived. I think we have, uhm, a-at least six. When it was just one or two, I could absolutely help out, but... if they were all hurt at the same time, you know? Or I couldn't get to them...

Yeah. It's better to have at least a few people who can do repairs, if there are that many.

[He's sure he's met some of the robots, so it shouldn't seem so cool... but it kind of does.]

There's nothing as advanced as the people here back home.

Yeah, uh, the k-kind of tech I've seen isn't really what I had back home, either.

[Surprise, she too is flying by the seat of her pants here.]

Robots existed, but it was like... one. One robot. Not all of this and looking super human and, like, he started as a box? Just a box. I can't even imagine how far tech having come for some people that t-this stuff is just normal.

[Oh cool, so probably no one really has any idea what they're doing. That's actually weirdly comforting.]

Our robots were like... well, mindless, really. They could perform tasks, or I guess there were some pet robot dogs and stuff like that, but nothing that could act on its own. Self-aware AI is still something most people aren't sure is possible.

[Though Adam guesses he knows it is now.]

Some of the technology I've seen here seems more like magic.

[She nods in response.]

Gosh, I f-feel that. I mean, Mettaton was metal and magic, like-- there was coding in there, don't get me wrong, but he totally had magic powering him. There are robots here now that are like... fully sentient AI. More elegant than I'd be able to even dream of designing. It's incredible.

[Really, she's awed. Some of the stuff she sees here still boggles her mind.]

Are you learning stuff from them? I mean, obviously it's not like we can just take somebody apart, but when you help fix them and stuff, I'm sure there's ways to see how it all works.

[Honestly, the idea of taking apart a fully sentient robot is... both horrible and interesting. Adam is sure he wouldn't be able to understand half of what he saw even if they did, though.]

What about the Null? Do you know anything about them?

[She rubs at the back of her neck as she speaks.]

I mean... k-kind of? I got to do a lot of examination on them and take them apart a lot, but the Null are a totally different level than any native tech we have in the city. They... their evolution is fluid in a way I've never seen in pure cybernetics. For everything they say when they try to be, you know, the b-best robots out there... they're so organic in design. It's so fascinating, I'd love to talk to them more about it if they weren't, heh... trying to kill us. And uh, all that.

[Maybe she got a little away from herself there, and looks sheepish.]

[He's not gonna hold it against her. Sometimes things that are interesting are also, well, incredibly dangerous and a threat to all of them. Both of those things can be true at the same time.]

I think overall we'd all be much happier if they weren't trying to kill us, not just for scientific reasons. Though that's a pretty good one.

[He grins, just a little.]

Maybe I can look at the pieces you have a little when I visit the lab. It's not gonna make any sense to me, but I'd like to look anyway.

[She chuckles once at his response, nodding.]

Yeah! I keep a few processors on hand to really, uhm, study when I have time. They're broken in places uh, of course, because we don't want them transmitting or anything like that, b-but they're still interesting to look over! I can explain what I've figured out some of the different pieces do also. Or what I think they do. I haven't, uh, tested on a live one or anything.

[Sure you haven't, Alphys. Sure you haven't.]

I'd love to hear it. I think it's really impressive what you and the other people at the lab have been able to figure out.

[His words are simple and honest. For someone who never technically finished high school - not before coming to Hadriel, that is - things like that are incredibly impressive.]

I'll come by soon, then.

[He's always so sweet!! Gosh!!!]

Well, I-- t-thank you. I really think you'll be able to help too, I, I just know it.

[She waves at him just a bit.]

I'll see you then! Be safe!