Pizza would definitely make it easier to get through Tony if Donatello wanted to use the forge, and it sounded like he wanted to commit himself to this path and didn't quite understand that this was a threat. Tony raised an eyebrow at the kid, then opened a hand in surrender to his choice to do everything the hard way.
"Yeah, listen, I'm already embarrassed enough about that, you can't make it worse, don't bother, sweetheart. My systems are supposed to be impenetrable, though. Only a few people can get through them, and they usually need more than a stick and some glasses, so I'd say you have a pretty good shot at figuring it out," he said. "Some of us have spent more time down there than others, if you need backup. Have you met Billy? He'd like you. He probably wants that thing gone more than anyone."
In Donnie's mind there was never really an 'easy' way until he built one. That was his function. If there were problems, he would fix them. That was how it worked back home and while mostly taken for granted by his family until something went wrong, Donnie was just glad to have an outlet that he could apply himself to.
Normally he'd be over the moon to have an adult asking him to solve a problem for him, essentially acknowledging his technical genius even not in the format he'd hope for, but he was cautious. This was an alien planet after all. It simply didn't do to go throwing yourself at every adult willing to give you attention.
"Your system is still for the most part secure," Donnie reassured. "I'd love to give it a more proper look, I've never seen anything on the level of the things you have here." He glanced meaningfully at the helmet just past Tony. "If this door down this supposed secret tunnel is locked up the same way then cracking it shouldn't be a problem. That failing, is it completely impenetrable? No one's tried to just break through it? That seems a common route when people are faced with locked doors."
He was missing something here though, and as Tony brought up Billy, he frowned, tapping a finger against his chin. "What exactly is in there anyway?"
It wasn't that reassuring, the damage had still been done and Tony wasn't yet able to even pinpoint the chink in his armor, so the door remained effectively useless, in his opinion. As much as that left him doubting how much respect his talents then deserved, he still couldn't stop from lifting his chin with what Rhodey would have called an 'aggravating' pride for whatever 'level' his work had been deemed to be on, and remained that way as he admitted, "That concept has been explored and hasn't paid off so far. I promise you, if something can be solved by an explosion, someone's already way ahead of you around here."
He was slightly more reluctant to explain what the tunnel was, mostly because he knew it wasn't exactly going to sound dire when he said it out loud. Clearly, no one was stuck down there. "Beds. Showers. A microwave." That wasn't making his point very well. "The problem is, doors are just as impossible from the other side."
The kid wasn't sure whether he was disappointed about that point or not. If things couldn't be solved with explosions or science then what did that leave? Uck, magic?
The revelation of the tunnel's contents made Donnie cautiously suspicious. There had to be some good reason that this guy wanted access to the place, but if people had been stuck in there against their will, if he was understanding this correctly, and unable to get out besides, well... "What is it, some creepy bed and breakfast? Gasp, no internet? That's a nightmare- well, more so than it is now, the local net is a super letdown!"
"No internet," Tony confirmed gravely, looking briefly shell-shocked at the reminder and the colour only slowly returned to his face as he continued. "I'd consider it more of a prison, if we're categorizing. Even the creepiest B'n'B has at least one spot to go skinny dipping. Maybe especially the creepiest." That distant look returned again, until Tony coughed and twirled a finger in the air for them to focus, please, only to say, "You've really got to be checking the right corners for the most interesting network activity this place has to offer." He gave an indication with his chin toward the communicator Donatello was holding, which was suddenly displaying a grid of largely motionless camera feeds. Some of them were more stable than others. One was trained on Donatello's feet across the workshop floor.
It was like telling some misguided child there wasn't any Santa Claus. If there were any doubts Donnie was a teenager then the proof was there in his horrified expression.
"Why? Bad enough I don't have my phone and they took away my computer and now you're telling me they ground people in some awful tunnel?!" If he were the sort to cry he'd be doing it right now.
Fortunately Tony came through with an interesting distraction. He arched a brow at the man's gesture before looking down at his tablet. "What the- whoa..." It didn't take him long to realize what he was seeing, and he glanced around to try finding the source that was currently looking at his feet before he paused and turned his head towards Tony.
"How..." The man hadn't even touched anything and suddenly he'd run a connection through his communicator- not impossible but...
While Tony couldn't do much about what Donatello might have stored on his very own devices, the kid did seem to be coming around on just how dire the tunnel problem was. In his own way. Luckily, Tony could remind him that they were solving that one with a finger in the air: "Not if you can figure out the doors."
The D.A.T.A. unit still sulking by the door remained glaring at Donatello's feet, until he spun around and the camera feed in his hands refocused on his face, then rolled to the side to hide behind sheet of metal. In that time, Tony had folded his arms, one hand still up to tap restlessly at his shoulder, and gave an innocent lift of his eyebrows at the partially-formed question. As though it was the only reasonable thing that Donatello could have been asking about, Tony answered, "Made some cameras. One of the first things I did here--I don't like having to look in my rearview mirror, but you've got to keep yourself protected. Processing isn't stored here, don't bother looking, but if you've got a hot tip we can maybe point some attention in that direction."
You, Donnie mouthed as he spied the little unit, scowling a little before he flicked a look back at his tablet. Mobile camera. Not the only one either. Once D.A.T.A. had hidden itself away, the turtle looked back at his tablet, eyeing the other feeds displayed there. He tapped at one experimentally to see if it would bring it up.
"'Some' cameras," he said, amused. "No, no, that's completely reasonable. Be easier if they already had some installed, but I guess this isn't New York." Said the kid who made an app that tapped into security feeds back home. He still cast a surreptitious look around. "-not what I was asking about though, I mean, what, you got a remote in your head or something? Motion sensor? You tapped into my tablet without blinking." Pause. "Not that this is a terribly hard feat in itself but that's besides the point."
having things in this inbox actually makes me insane I think
The camera feeds appeared to be quite interactive with gestures, including angling and zooming the cameras where they were set up. The very conspicuous button to disable them, though, had a just as conspicuous slash through it, so Donatello was very aware what his boundaries were. If he could figure how how to get passed that one, they'd have to have another talk.
"We've got a lot of work to do to make this place like home," Tony agreed, muttered through his teeth but with an unfamiliar slouch in his usually guarded posture, head tipped watchfully in something that might have been endearment. It was gone very quickly, back to stiff and wary as Donatello pressed the question that he should have been distracted away from. "Oh, well, if it's not so hard," Tony did get to divert, "you can make one of your own to figure it out." Maybe because that did sting a little bit. Tony didn't know how to make Extremis himself, it seemed pretty hard to him. It was increasingly rare that he was the smartest person in the room.
That there were obvious boundaries was noted, explored with only a couple taps before he resigned himself to just going through various camera angles and their functions. Impressive, he would say, especially given they'd had to be made and set up from scratch.
"What? No, I mean like-" Donnie winced, noting the quick shift. "Getting something to connect to this tablet isn't difficult, it's pretty basic, doesn't seem like it has much by way of security lockdowns, wouldn't check any bank accounts on this thing." He smashed his face against the tablet for a moment before sighing, dropping his hands.
"I....don't usually get to talk to people who are- well..." Looking somewhat frustrated, he huffed as he tried to get his thoughts organized. "-no one back home is interested in this kind of thing and don't really care when I talk about tech and science so having someone actually respond in general is kind of...different. Good different." A grimace. "Except when they might've taken something the wrong way I am really not used to complimenting other people much less actually have an adult listening to me like this but maybe it's just me and I should just stop talking right now."
While Tony's smirk started to return at the suggestion that they might have bank accounts to worry about here, wouldn't that have been nice?, it brittled with concern as Donatello worked through his frustration. The kid seemed to be wilfully prickly, so either he was setting Tony up for another insult, or Tony's guilt was about to be exponential for that expectation.
The guilt was very familiar, at least. "Letting your mouth get you in trouble. Can't imagine what that's like," he said, trying for a reassuring, lopsided smile. Abruptly, he raised both his hands to insist very seriously, "Don't get too used to it. I'm very popular," to the forge that had been so notably empty since Donatello started skulking around it. "But I would not be against scheduling in some time for you to practice complimenting me. That's a gift I could give to you."
The very suggestion once Donnie let it soak in long enough to know he'd heard Tony right has him look mildly disgusted.
"Uck, really?" Eyew, wait, was this how it was like for other people talking to Donnie? He wouldn't have said as much in the same words but there've been times he'd conveyed similar sentiments to his brothers... That was a terrifying thought in itself and one the turtle quickly backpeddled away from as he clamped his mouth shut again, unsure of whether Tony was being serious or pulling his leg, or how to respond in either case aside from his gut reaction.
A quick jump of Tony's eyebrows that he had to control betrayed his amusement before he committed, chin tucking down to let his voice get deep and and authoritative as he said, "Not a great start, I have to say. No natural aptitude. This might not be the career path for you. Have you considered the circus?"
"No, not at all. I was definitely not born to be a sycophant- but my father has said time and time again that I am the funniest of my brothers," Donnie sighed with a dramatic drop of his shoulders.
He looked up at Tony again. "Can...can we start over again? I mean, round two and we still skipped introductions. Probably pointless when you can just look at this thing-" he waved the offending tablet around a bit "-anyway." Deep breath.
"Hey, my name's Donnie, easier than Donatello which no one ever really calls me. My interests are tech, science and engineering and I would really love to trade notes with you and make use of your forge at some point because this shell is not really ideal for...I don't know, whatever potentially dangerous alien encounters there might be out there, or even faulty building construction. -and potentially other projects! I realize that resources are...to be desired and am used to and willing to scavenge as needs be."
He held up a finger. "I will of course still look into this...secret tunnel with the uncooperative door."
Tony started to lift a hand to discourage the idea that they needed a third start, the slate was clean and Donatello didn't need to prove anything, only to let it drop again as he realized maybe the kid had some proving to do to himself. With the tug of a smirk and tip of his head, he echoed, "Donnie," as the kid continued. And he did go on, making that glimmer of amusement return as he made the introduction sound more like a dating profile/job application.
Tony gave him an extra beat, eyebrows raised expectantly, until he was really sure that the whole speech was done, and gave a start like he was unprepared to have to respond so soon. "My turn? Oh--" he said, hand to his chest, and cleared his throat to follow the same pattern, "Hi, my name's Tony, and I'm an alcoholic." Wrong pattern, he flicked that away with another wry grin, then offered a hand. "Let's get you suited up."
The last time he wanted to join a group of whom he thought were like-minded individuals (if mostly for superficial reasons such as some gorgeous purple silk jackets) all they ended up doing was stealing his tech. Donnie really had no pleasant experience with trying to associate with people on the same wavelength as him and he didn't want this to be a third strike. He realized maybe he was saying too much again, trying too hard, but too late, couldn't take words back now.
Just hearing Tony say his name had a profound effect. The turtle wasn't sure what he was expecting afterwards, a real introduction or another lecture? He could have been annoyed at the introduction he ended up with but it did the trick of dispersing whatever anxiety he'd been singlehandedly building up.
Donnie finally offered a genuine smile, reaching out to grasp that hand.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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"Yeah, listen, I'm already embarrassed enough about that, you can't make it worse, don't bother, sweetheart. My systems are supposed to be impenetrable, though. Only a few people can get through them, and they usually need more than a stick and some glasses, so I'd say you have a pretty good shot at figuring it out," he said. "Some of us have spent more time down there than others, if you need backup. Have you met Billy? He'd like you. He probably wants that thing gone more than anyone."
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Normally he'd be over the moon to have an adult asking him to solve a problem for him, essentially acknowledging his technical genius even not in the format he'd hope for, but he was cautious. This was an alien planet after all. It simply didn't do to go throwing yourself at every adult willing to give you attention.
"Your system is still for the most part secure," Donnie reassured. "I'd love to give it a more proper look, I've never seen anything on the level of the things you have here." He glanced meaningfully at the helmet just past Tony. "If this door down this supposed secret tunnel is locked up the same way then cracking it shouldn't be a problem. That failing, is it completely impenetrable? No one's tried to just break through it? That seems a common route when people are faced with locked doors."
He was missing something here though, and as Tony brought up Billy, he frowned, tapping a finger against his chin. "What exactly is in there anyway?"
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He was slightly more reluctant to explain what the tunnel was, mostly because he knew it wasn't exactly going to sound dire when he said it out loud. Clearly, no one was stuck down there. "Beds. Showers. A microwave." That wasn't making his point very well. "The problem is, doors are just as impossible from the other side."
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The revelation of the tunnel's contents made Donnie cautiously suspicious. There had to be some good reason that this guy wanted access to the place, but if people had been stuck in there against their will, if he was understanding this correctly, and unable to get out besides, well... "What is it, some creepy bed and breakfast? Gasp, no internet? That's a nightmare- well, more so than it is now, the local net is a super letdown!"
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"Why? Bad enough I don't have my phone and they took away my computer and now you're telling me they ground people in some awful tunnel?!" If he were the sort to cry he'd be doing it right now.
Fortunately Tony came through with an interesting distraction. He arched a brow at the man's gesture before looking down at his tablet. "What the- whoa..." It didn't take him long to realize what he was seeing, and he glanced around to try finding the source that was currently looking at his feet before he paused and turned his head towards Tony.
"How..." The man hadn't even touched anything and suddenly he'd run a connection through his communicator- not impossible but...
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The D.A.T.A. unit still sulking by the door remained glaring at Donatello's feet, until he spun around and the camera feed in his hands refocused on his face, then rolled to the side to hide behind sheet of metal. In that time, Tony had folded his arms, one hand still up to tap restlessly at his shoulder, and gave an innocent lift of his eyebrows at the partially-formed question. As though it was the only reasonable thing that Donatello could have been asking about, Tony answered, "Made some cameras. One of the first things I did here--I don't like having to look in my rearview mirror, but you've got to keep yourself protected. Processing isn't stored here, don't bother looking, but if you've got a hot tip we can maybe point some attention in that direction."
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"'Some' cameras," he said, amused. "No, no, that's completely reasonable. Be easier if they already had some installed, but I guess this isn't New York." Said the kid who made an app that tapped into security feeds back home. He still cast a surreptitious look around. "-not what I was asking about though, I mean, what, you got a remote in your head or something? Motion sensor? You tapped into my tablet without blinking." Pause. "Not that this is a terribly hard feat in itself but that's besides the point."
having things in this inbox actually makes me insane I think
"We've got a lot of work to do to make this place like home," Tony agreed, muttered through his teeth but with an unfamiliar slouch in his usually guarded posture, head tipped watchfully in something that might have been endearment. It was gone very quickly, back to stiff and wary as Donatello pressed the question that he should have been distracted away from. "Oh, well, if it's not so hard," Tony did get to divert, "you can make one of your own to figure it out." Maybe because that did sting a little bit. Tony didn't know how to make Extremis himself, it seemed pretty hard to him. It was increasingly rare that he was the smartest person in the room.
i am not helping obviously
"What? No, I mean like-" Donnie winced, noting the quick shift. "Getting something to connect to this tablet isn't difficult, it's pretty basic, doesn't seem like it has much by way of security lockdowns, wouldn't check any bank accounts on this thing." He smashed his face against the tablet for a moment before sighing, dropping his hands.
"I....don't usually get to talk to people who are- well..." Looking somewhat frustrated, he huffed as he tried to get his thoughts organized. "-no one back home is interested in this kind of thing and don't really care when I talk about tech and science so having someone actually respond in general is kind of...different. Good different." A grimace. "Except when they might've taken something the wrong way I am really not used to complimenting other people much less actually have an adult listening to me like this but maybe it's just me and I should just stop talking right now."
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The guilt was very familiar, at least. "Letting your mouth get you in trouble. Can't imagine what that's like," he said, trying for a reassuring, lopsided smile. Abruptly, he raised both his hands to insist very seriously, "Don't get too used to it. I'm very popular," to the forge that had been so notably empty since Donatello started skulking around it. "But I would not be against scheduling in some time for you to practice complimenting me. That's a gift I could give to you."
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"Uck, really?" Eyew, wait, was this how it was like for other people talking to Donnie? He wouldn't have said as much in the same words but there've been times he'd conveyed similar sentiments to his brothers... That was a terrifying thought in itself and one the turtle quickly backpeddled away from as he clamped his mouth shut again, unsure of whether Tony was being serious or pulling his leg, or how to respond in either case aside from his gut reaction.
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He looked up at Tony again. "Can...can we start over again? I mean, round two and we still skipped introductions. Probably pointless when you can just look at this thing-" he waved the offending tablet around a bit "-anyway." Deep breath.
"Hey, my name's Donnie, easier than Donatello which no one ever really calls me. My interests are tech, science and engineering and I would really love to trade notes with you and make use of your forge at some point because this shell is not really ideal for...I don't know, whatever potentially dangerous alien encounters there might be out there, or even faulty building construction. -and potentially other projects! I realize that resources are...to be desired and am used to and willing to scavenge as needs be."
He held up a finger. "I will of course still look into this...secret tunnel with the uncooperative door."
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Tony gave him an extra beat, eyebrows raised expectantly, until he was really sure that the whole speech was done, and gave a start like he was unprepared to have to respond so soon. "My turn? Oh--" he said, hand to his chest, and cleared his throat to follow the same pattern, "Hi, my name's Tony, and I'm an alcoholic." Wrong pattern, he flicked that away with another wry grin, then offered a hand. "Let's get you suited up."
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Just hearing Tony say his name had a profound effect. The turtle wasn't sure what he was expecting afterwards, a real introduction or another lecture? He could have been annoyed at the introduction he ended up with but it did the trick of dispersing whatever anxiety he'd been singlehandedly building up.
Donnie finally offered a genuine smile, reaching out to grasp that hand.