blue_ice | snow business

snow business

Seto Kaiba really hated his life at this moment.

What he'd intended to be a quick business trip quickly turned into a frozen hellscape. Meterologists were paid far too much to continuously get so much wrong in their predictions, in his opinion. He'd ended up with one frozen dragon jet, been forced to land it in the middle of nowhere...and not only that, but even his strongest signals weren't connecting with the communication satellites. He was well and truly stranded, and without fuel, the jet was little shelter from the cold.

He sat on the head of the grounded jet, stubbornly flicking ice from his hair. His business relations would simply have to wait---he could only hope his team would figure out what happened, locate him, and end this nightmare soon. The only thing he was grateful for was that Mokuba hadn't been on the plane---thankfully, he was safe at home, probably avoiding his homework. Sigh. He'd have to get on that later.

Seto squinted up at the sky when a dark shape passed overhead. Was that his rescue party already? Huh. He might have to give them a raise after all.

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Once again, what even was his life right now. Any protests Seto might have made were drowned out by the wind. This was such a bad idea...he'd be presumed dead if anyone returned to the jet before he could, and he could only imagine what that would do to Mokuba...

But his protests would have to wait. The combination of the damp chill and turbulent flight left him shuddering, as much as he tried to suppress that reaction. Ugh. They would have to have words when this was over...assuming, of course, his rescuer's intentions were altruistic.

And he couldn't just blindly assume that.

When they landed, then, he shook his head, still making an effort to gather his wits. He managed to suppress his shivers enough to pull off some semblance of his usual businesslike tone. "Let's get to the point, then. What is it that you really want from me?"

"Want? Nothing..." That he tilts his head and peers at Seto looking rather confused. "... Well, other than not letting you freeze... That storm rolling in..." His plane was already likely covered by inches, and would be under several feet by the time any human rescue team got to it... If they could even fly in this weather.

Skyfire keeps walking deeper into the cave, and then suddenly the air temperature starts getting warmer. It also gets brighter as it becomes obvious there are lights inlaid into the walls and ceiling.

Seto will likely hear the crackling of a radio coming from somewhere ahead, it's broadcasting the local weather as well as search and rescue information for a missing plane... and that they're going to have to call off the search because all planes are grounded.

"I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to believe that anyone would perform a rescue without an angle. Everyone always wants something from me."

Seto didn't elaborate on the tiny chance the dragon truly didn't know who he was...he'd make his angle known soon enough. He chanced glancing around the lair. It was better-equipped than he expected. Even with a radio...it was still working, though the message sent another chill down his spine.

"Of course," he sighed. He was well and truly stranded, and he was certain that Mokuba would be fretting by now. One reach into his pocket confirmed that his phone was soaked through---a design flaw he would have to fix in the next revision. But if he had time to dry out the components, he could still reassemble it. If that radio worked, his tricked-out phone surely could---just as soon as he warmed that now-drenched hand. He cupped it with his other hand and rubbed it, biting his lip.

"I'll have to repair my phone," he muttered, testing the waters with a curious look up.

"I can honestly say I have no idea who you are... Other than a pilot for a plane with the registration 'Dragon 3A25D'. They lost contact with your plane over the mountains..." and with the storm rolling in, Skyfire feared the worst and went looking.

"Or you can just use mine... If the weather hasn't knocked it out yet..." It's clear the further in they get, the less 'cave like' the cave really is. There's a lot of tech in there, but none of it is either standard or mass produced. "I don't know if I have anything compatible with any of your technology, but I'll help if I can."

Skyfire puts Seto down near one of the heater vents and goes digging in a chest marked 'EMERGENCY', pulling out a blanket and a couple of towels. "Here, try and dry yourself out while I try and radio in to the air control to confirm I've picked you up..."

That was surprising...it really shouldn't have been, but when you have an ego as big as Seto Kaiba's....well.

Huh. He wouldn't say that the technology in the cave rivaled his own, at least not without a little further inspection, but he was clearly caught off guard enough to be slightly impressed.

Right, then. Priorities. First was the phone, its cover carefully popped off and the components laid away from the vent. Only then did he bother warming himself. His drenched clothing was peeled off and carefully arranged in front of the vent, and once dried, he wrapped the blanket around himself like a substitute coat.

He'd kept an eye trained on Skyfire the entire time, but only then did he turn his attention back to him fully. "How's the signal?"

While Seto was drying himself off, Skyfire was adjusting levels and punching codes into a very alien looking keyboard. The symbols were no human language, that was certain.

"Air Control One, do you read? This is Mountain Hermit, do you read Air Control?" *...Hermit, we read. Signal.. is bad...* "I have the pilot for 'Dragon 3A25D'. I repeat, I have the missing pilot." *...Status?* "Alive. Might have to wait out the weather, but safe." *St... Conf...med. Contac..*

That last crackle didn't sound good, and the 'radio' died mid transmission, causing Skyfire to cuss quietly in a language that Seto wouldn't be able to recognize.

"I'm going to have to go out there and clear off the transmitters..." Something he clearly wasn't looking forward to. "At least you won't need to worry about being labeled dead... Let me go see how much digging I'm going to have to go do, this storm is only going to get worse."

That wasn't good. Seto squinted at the screens, trying to decipher their secrets, but they definitely weren't in any language he had learned. The transmission was successful enough---though he wished in hindsight that he'd jumped in---and then it cut off.

The dragon sounded tired, and something compelled Seto to respond. "Don't force yourself to go. Much as I'm loath to admit it, I owe you, and I can see tonight's taken a lot out of you already. If you get hurt, I can't save you---and you did the most important part. I'll fix my signal and get a message to my brother later."

Skyfire eyed the tunnel they'd entered through and then sighed. "I'll be fine, I just really don't like this weather. Besides, you'll likely need the transmitter to give your phone enough of a boost to connect anyways."

He goes back over to that emergency box and starts hauling out other supplies for Seto, water bottles and ration bars among other things are set onto another blanket. Bringing them over Skyfire sets them near him. "Sorry these aren't the best right now, I was half expecting to be able to just drop you off at one of the ranger stations outside of the mountains..."

Once they managed to make contact with his family or whoever, then Skyfire could worry about getting him better things out of storage. "The longer I put this off, the worse it's going to get, and I'd rather your family doesn't need to worry about you..."

As long as Seto didn't protest again, Skyfire would be off down the tunnel and absent for about an hour... The noise of radio static returning after about twenty minuets and several images on the screens showing full signal again. Not that it would tell him what does what, but it does prove that there is more than the radio going on for communications.

Seto gave him a doubtful look, but reluctantly let him go. "Fine, but I expect you back here."

With that cheerful thought, he dug through his coat pockets again. His deck was thankfully intact and sealed in a protector (clearly more valuable than his phone), as was his emergency repair kit. He could work with that.

For the next hour, he carefully dried and re-tuned each component, glancing up at the screens every now and then. He had a lot of questions, actually. But those would have to wait, for it wasn't long before he was dialing the familiar number. As Skyfire returns, he might hear the human's voice louder than he ever has, with a smaller one crackling through.

"M---Mokuba! Mokuba. It's Seto"

"Big bro! But I thought..."

"I don't have much time. Look, I'm safe. Just stuck."

"But who's Mountain Hermit?"

"You wouldn't believe me. I'll tell you everything as soon as I can. Promise."

"You'd better!"

The transmitter wouldn't stay clear enough for much longer, so he reluctantly closed the call and looked up. The dragon appeared unharmed, at least. Seto then carefully inspected the rations before opening one, that wariness still in his eyes as he regarded his ca---rescuer.

"You made it. But you're a lot more intelligent than anyone would give you credit for, aren't you?"

Edited 2018-12-12 17:50 (UTC)

Skyfire was unharmed, but also soaked through and was standing in the entry way to avoid getting water everywhere as the snow melted off of him, water disappearing through small holes that were easily overlooked previously. He was relieved to hear that he'd got a message through.

The rations were military grade and still well within their best before date, they weren't fancy, just dried meats and fruits, but would at least take the edge off of any hunger for a while.

His question caused Skyfire to chuckle softly. "Perhaps. It depends on who you ask. I have been called a 'jumped up lizard on steroids', so it's a matter of opinion." He flicked his wings a few times to shake off any remaining clumps of snow, then huffed and shook like a dog to get most of the water off himself... He did make sure that he was far enough back in the tunnel that the water goes nowhere near the chamber with Seto and the computer equipment.

Edited (Missed a word) 2018-12-13 01:52 (UTC)

"Heh. That's definitely a name."

Seto raised an eyebrow---sure sounded like humans to do such a thing. His inner twelve year old was mildly insulted on the dragon's behalf.

The food passed his test, so he cautiously nibbled at it---he hadn't had a meal since before the flight, and this whole ordeal had taken a toll. Not that he'd ever admit to that, of course. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the kindness being offered to him, seemingly without an ulterior motive...but maybe he could investigate.

He wrapped his blanket a little tighter around himself and wandered closer, one of the largest still-dry towels in hand. There was no towel in the human world big enough for Skyfire, but...

"Come on. Can't have you dripping out here all night like a dog."

Yes, shockingly, the grouchy human was attempting to dry any egregious spots he could reach with the towel. He frowned to keep up appearances, of course, but his inner twelve year old thought this was amazing.

Skyfire can't help it, his ears perk and he looks relieved at the idea of getting help drying off. He can turn on air blowers, but he still hates the air blowing on his face and ears when he's wet.

"Let me turn on the air driers, it'll make this go faster." He was going to do it anyways, but Seto is likely to notice that Skyfire keeps his head well away from the warm air jets... and that he didn't need to be anywhere near the console for the jets to switch on.

"Thank you..." His ears flick a bit as he puts his head down on the floor where Seto can reach. "As strange as it might sound, I can't stand those driers blowing air into my face..."

"I don't like owing favors," Seto offered as explanation, even as his actions betrayed him. He was certain those scales could handle a lot, but he was still gentle, like he hadn't done in a long time.

Just how did the technology work in here, anyway? He'd definitely have to take notes once they were better acquainted. So, to that end...

That ear was tempting. He reached up and scritched behind the ear, for...curiosity's sake. He was absolutely not hiding a smile.

"You don't owe me a thing. I'd do the same for anyone. If you really feel the need to repay me, donate a few dollars to the rescue groups in the area. They're the ones who helped stock things here for human emergencies." It's clear by the way he says that, Skyfire has no clue whatsoever who Seto is.

Annnd that would be about all the coherent wordage that would come out of Skyfire's mouth when Seto starts to scratch behind Sky's ear. He leans into that scratching and actually starts purring of all things. Ever see a dog or cat just bliss out on an ear scritch? Yeah, that. Overgrown puppycat of a dragon...

That remark draws a small chuckle. He really doesn't know who he is at all, does he? Well, that's fine. It's a good suggestion. He'd just have to make sure they were flush with cash.

For now, though...oh. That was interesting. He'd had no ideas dragons could be so domestic, and yet here they were. Such simple affection had a strange power. It made him think back on his childhood dreams of adopting a dog. Heh. Imagine if he adopted a dragon. Mokuba would flip.

...But he's getting ahead of himself. He resumes his scritching, all while helping the drying along as best he can. Eventually, he lifts his hand.

"Think you can come in yet?"

"Hmmm? Oh... er..." Whoops looks like Skyfire was a little bit distracted by the ear scratching. "Ahem... Yes, I think so... Sorry."

He's careful to give Seto enough time to step back before getting back up himself and giving himself a quick shake to try and get all his fur and hair back into place... Only to groan lightly as he poofs up a fair bit. This was the other thing that annoyed him about the air driers... static.

Trying to distract himself from how silly he must look at the moment... "Now that we're not soaked, freezing or trying to get emergency signals out... My name is Skyfire."

That was so amusing that he had to repress the urge to laugh, restricting himself to a smirk. Who would have thought?

At any rate, Seto drew himself to his full height (still tiny, compared to Skyfire) and nodded. The dragon didn't know his face---hardly surprising, as he hadn't seen any sort of television and there wouldn't be newspaper deliveries out here---but his name might still be recognizable. It was a risk, but one that presented him with other options if necessary.

"Seto Kaiba. It's been a long time since I've met anyone who didn't already know that."

Seto watched carefully for any signs of a reaction. He was starting to consider the possibility that this might not be a trick, and if so...that presented a rare opportunity.

His name gets a slightly puzzled look out of Skyfire, like he knows that name from somewhere. "Your name sounds familiar, but I can't place it at the moment. Something to do with visual technology?"

Skyfire gave a half shrug and dismissed the thought for the moment. "Maybe I'm thinking of someone else. I've been looking through too many technological documents lately..." Alright, so he might have the barest of ideas who he is, but it's clear he doesn't really care... Well, beyond maybe being able to talk about various kinds of tech with. It's obvious he doesn't care about money at least.

"Hand me those wet towels so I can put them up to dry and then we can go see if I can clean up one of the spare rooms for human visitors for you to use while you're stuck here..." He winced a bit. "I... hope they haven't gotten too dusty..."

Well that sounds honest enough. He flounders a little for a response, before laughing lightly.

"Yes, something to do with that. I'm the CEO of the most prominent gaming company in Japan. My Solid Vision holograph system revolutionized Duel Monsters, and as such...my brother and I are frequent targets of dishonest people. That's why I didn't quite believe you."

He handed over the towels, as requested, and the look in his eye was the most apology Skyfire was likely to get. "Tch. You'll have to do a lot worse than dust to take me down. And that can easily be fixed."

Okay, now Skyfire looks really interested and slightly excited as he took the towels and hung them up to dry on what looked like rough patches of rock in the hall. "You mean you actually got 3D holographic imaging to work on a large scale? That wasn't just theory and marketing hype?"

Not that he's accusing Seto of not living up to what he's marketing things as, he's just been sticking mostly to the scientific papers and hasn't realized that something so revolutionary was being marketed as part of a card game. That would teach him... and selling it as part of a game... It was a rather smart thing to do in his opinion, all things considered.

"Don't bet on it... some of those rooms have a hundred years of dust in them..." He admitted sheepishly. "It's hard to find someone to come out here and clean..." Most of his place is clean and tidy, it's just the small rooms he has troubles with. "I think we'll stick with the newer ones."

"It took countless nights to break the new ground, but I'm always working on improving the end result. My latest project is a full virtual reality chamber, no goggles required, and I was on my way to its first unveiling to investors when the storm trapped me."

There's a definite spark in his eyes when he talks about his passion projects, one of the few things that breaks past his usual grouchy exterior, but only for a moment.

"That's fine. I'll just have to return with an industrial-strength vacuum."

Now you've got his attention Seto. Skyfire's ears betray how curious and excited he is. "I'd love a chance to compare notes with you and see if either of us can help the other. I've been trying to develop a similar project, but I've run into the problem of not being able to create small enough components..." He was rather limited by his size after all, but even so, what he'd managed was quite impressive.

"... but that's something for later. We'll likely have a day or two before this storm blows over, so we should get your room sorted first." He did catch the comment about returning with a vacuum and was rather hopeful that meant he'd visit again sometime. "Care for a lift? I won't be flying but..." Skyfire stretched a wing out so that Seto could use it to climb up onto his back if he accepted the offer.

"I saw you controlling parts of your system without the use of your hands earlier. Using that to manipulate moving parts in the way that you would if you could hold the tools would be more difficult, but doable. With a solid virtual space, you'd have even greater control."

His mind immediately kicks into gear---he only has his phone for storing notes right now, but that works. After a few quick scribbles, he looks up, surprised.

Riding a dragon was his greatest wish as a child, and even now, he's interested. He just has to be careful not to look too interested. "Hm. If you're offering."

He keeps his tone aloof, but Skyfire will feel him climb gently and pat his back appreciatively.

The mention of moving stuff without the use of his hands caused Skyfire to sigh just a tiny bit. "It would be great if I could, but the things I accessed were made to operate er 'hands free'. I had to design them to do that in the first place and I'm about at the limit of how much I can miniaturize my own work without smaller tools... Tools I can't make without being able to make smaller items..."

It was the classic 'catch 22', but when Seto finally learns just how complex some of what Skyfire is doing is, he's likely to be suitably impressed. Skyfire already had the knowladge to make 'hard light' holograms, but the power requirements are likely too high for recreational use... well, unless it's installed in a Cybertronian... but he won't be mentioning that any time soon.

"I am." Skyfire doesn't chuckle, but he is slightly amused by how hard Seto is trying to stay aloof. "As long as I'm not treated like a horse or a taxi service, I don't mind giving people rides now and then. You settled alright?"

"My smaller hands might be able to do something about that," he snorted, slumping down a little. The day's events had taken more energy out of him than he'd realized.

He shook his head at the thought. "I'm no fool, though I know a few people who might otherwise be. I do appreciate...all of this," he said, his voice softer than it had been all day.

It was the closest to a 'thank you' Skyfire was likely to get at the moment, but it was a start.

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