989/Kodachrome

Kodachrome
Date of Scene:	16 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Brainiac 5, Jericho

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Brainiac 5 has posed:
Science is Art. That's the name of the exhibit currently on display at one of New York City's trendier art galleries. Scientific principles on display in the arts. A vast array of scientists demonstrating their atrtistic attitude. There's an enormous tree of grown crystals. An expending latticework of plasma ribbons in slowly shifting geographic array. There's even one that's even auditory-only, claiming to be an arrangement of tones that will stimulate ocytocin production for the listener.

Among the individuals milling about is a young man--wiry, with shaggy blond hair, but neatly dressed in black slacks and turtleneck with a purple scarf and a belt with a gold buckle -- who is currently studying the crystal array with one corner of his mouth quirked.

Jericho has posed:
Joseph Wilson moved through the crowd like a dancer. He let the ebb and flow of the crowd move him, responding to it with a gliding nimbleness that kept him distant from most. Which was, he supposed, something of a metaphor for his life. Stopping to look at the crystal tree, he took note of the blonde young man and gave him a pleasant nod and faint smile before turning to look at the tree, his smile growing wider with almost childlike delight at the play of light through the material, making veins and arteries of prismatic light through the tree.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl walks around the crystal, "It's lovely," He says. "It just reminds me of someone I know, is all. Art like this is one of his hobbies, and he would've been delighted too -- even though he could've eclipsed it even with his most casual work." He studies it, and then says, "He would've been *particularly* enchanted with the fine complexity of the terminus of the branches."

Jericho has posed:
Joe listened and tilted his head. He waited until the stranger was looking his way and brought his hands up, asking in American Sign Language, 'Do you sign?' He was obviously already expecting the answer to be no, because he pulled out his cell phone and made an apologetic 'wait a second' gesture as the vocalizer app synched with his implant. The artificial voice that came from the phone's speakers was very close to perfect, as he'd worked on it for months. A light, pleasant tenor with a American broadcaster accent (or lack thereof). "Your friend must be very talented!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
There is a pause, and then Querl says, "You use a vocalizer. What an unexpectedly brilliant piece of technology!" Then he taps his ear, before he reaches up, and after a moment's pause, begins to sign back. 'I do sign, thank you very much.' Well. He is a genius. "But I can communicate with you this way as well. And yes." He tilts his head. "He's a brilliant chemist, with an artistic eye for it that I never had." But for a moment, he furrows his brow, and says, "But enough about that."

Jericho has posed:
Joe's expression goes from pleasantly interested to purely surprised and even joyous as his new acquaintance signs back at him. He signs and 'speaks' simultaneously, "Thank you. It was an idea I had, but honestly, my father's technical friends made it possible. I guess you could call me a beta tester." He shrugs faintly, amused at the thought. Seeing that faint sign of distress of discomfort with the conversation of the friend, Joe extends a hand and says, "I'm Joe. Pleased to meet you."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
After a moment, the other man extends his hand in a firm grip. "And you. I'm--" He thinks, because 'Earl' is just no good, and then finally, he finishes, somewhat lamely, "Dox." That done, he goes back to signing, and signs, 'My apologies, this is the first time in weeks that I've had any free time and now that I'm here everything I see distracts me. It's all impressive though, if a little amateurish. And if the plasma lattice patternwork isn't turned off and tweaked, it's going to start a fire.'

Jericho has posed:
Without thinking about it, Joe continues to sign and let the app work. There are little differences between his phrasing in each language, but the gist is the same. "Dox is an interesting name. I hope I'm not bothering you while you're trying to relax?" He tilts his head a little, as though trying to read Dox's body language, obviously ready to make his apologies and exit if he's disturbing the other young man.

At the idea the tree is going to catch fire, he grins faintly and asks, philosophically and with more than a little whimsy, "Doesn't that just lend it a little more verisimilitude? I mean, technically, the plasma would be lightning, so getting hit by lightning and catching fire is kind of thematically appropriate for a tree. Maybe it's a performance piece?" Somehow both his impish expression and a certain lilt and crispness to his signing convey a droll humor at that thought.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl raises an eyebrow at that and the corner of his eye turns up in a smirk, before he signs, 'You're not bothering me.' He walks along, and gestures with one hand, before he says, 'That may be so, but I doubt the city's fire authority would find it as droll as you or I would.' He thinks, and then says, "Mmm." He walks up to the aforementioned latticework, looks to either side briefly, and then with the smallest twitch of a hand, he gestures, and a wire gets imperceptibly tightened, except if you have a trained eye. 'Or,' he says, signing as he studies the ribbons of plasma, 'I could be wrong.'

Jericho has posed:
Nodding at that thought, Joe falls in with Dox. He's having as much fun people watching the interesting stranger as he is with the exhibit, truth be told. And unlike the vast majority of his family, Joe is a social creature at heart. "Well, it would certainly do what good art is supposed to do: engage them. But probably not in a good way." He doesn't know enough electronics to catch that tiny change, but he knows people well enough to catch a certain self-satisfied air from the other young man. One eyebrow goes up and he looks between the tree and Dox, certain he just missed something. A mystery! "Are you an engineer? You sound like you know your way around this kind of stuff."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Among other things!" Dox says, smirking. There's more than a bit of self-satisfaction to it. But then he turns his head to Joseph, and says, "I suppose I'd be called a Polymath, except I've really never had much of a head for art. But this is growing on me." He strokes his chin, as he studies the latticework. "The subtle gradiations in color of the plasma ribbons is an especially nice touch."

Jericho has posed:
Joe's expression is gently amused at the smirk. "I get by in science, but I'm probably stronger on the artistic side of things. My parents had very different ideas from what I'd need to learn, but my mother made sure I was exposed to the finer things. And she was patient enough to put up with me playing practically anything I could get my hands on." He looks back at the art piece and says, "It really is lovely, but in a way, it's also a little sad. All that technology. All that artistic talent. All that work. And it's just to give the most basic approximation of what nature does on her own, a million times a day." He shakes his head, "Could have just planted a real tree."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"That..." Querl says, "Is uncannily like something Jan would have said. Out of everything here, he be most enchanted by *you*, I think." He smirks, and shakes his head. "Remarkable!" He laughs, at that, briefly, and then says, "My apologies. I keep finding myself walking into the mists of the past, and that's not fair to you. But really, my biggest problem with these exhibits is that the purpose of scientific endeavor is to open new fronts to benefit all. This is just... empty beauty."

Jericho has posed:
Fighting off the urge to pat the stranger on his shoulder, Joe says, his tone subdued and his gestures small and close, "He sounds like a very special person, Dox. And never apologize for thinking of people you care for." He grins and shrugs and says, "Besides, there is nothing empty about beauty! Beauty is as important as oxygen. It's hope. It's love. Rest for the weary. Inspiration for the ragged." This time, it's Joe who smirks as he adds, "Then again, I'm speaking from the viewpoint of somebody who flatters himself by thinking he's an artist, sometimes. And I'm sure all of this has a purpose, even if it's not apparent. Everything does, right?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl mulls this over, and then he says, "I have learned that if something doesn't have a purpose, it can be given one contextually, or even sometimes by exposure to factors around it." He looks up, his green eyes, brightening a bit, before he pats Joseph on the shoulder. "Thank you, Joseph. You've made me reconsider my view of the universe, which is a credit to you, as a scientist. And as an artist. Funny how that works."

Jericho has posed:
Joe's phone chirps and vibrates and he looks at the screen a moment before looking back up to Dox and smiling again. "Well, people basically gain our purposes contextually, too, don't we? A hero is just a person with the right intentions in the right place at the right time and all that." He blushes a little at the idea of changing somebody's world view and the pat on the shoulder, saying, "Thank you! It takes a very secure person to admit to changing their mind on anything. I hate to leave when we're just getting to know each other, but ... lawyer stuff. I have to iron out some details with my father's lawyers." He grins and pulls out a sketch pad, jotting down his name, email and phone number on a blank page after a number of character studies and says, "Give me a call if you're going to be in town. We can hang out sometime. Maybe get really drunk and discuss philosophy." His shrug and silent laugh suggest that you'd have to be drunk to do that. "Nice meeting you, Dox." And with that, he was starting to weave his way back through the crowd.