World Tree MUSH

San Fransokyo is a city that's been on the cusp of greatness for as long as most of the citizens of this place remember. For a good chunk of those recent and memorable years, the Lucky Cat Cafe has been providing a safe place to relax, unwind and eat. That's the most important part. The eating.

Cass Hamada (or Aunt Cass as some people have the privilege of calling her) is in the middle of happily taking orders from random patrons of this establishment. Which is somewhat crowded, to say good things about the personally owned cafe.

In the near distance, around a corner that leads to the living arrangements upstairs, a black haired young man peeks his head out. His eyes are narrowed as he looks left and then right, perhaps checking to see where exactly certain individuals are located. As the young man's lips curve into a mischievous smile...

"Hiro!" The pleasant robotic tone pings loudly through he cafe. "You dropped your robot." The big fluffy white robot waddles out from behind Hiro's hiding place and holds out a box of bot parts that look more like they belong in a junkyard than in an actual bot project.

Hiro smacks himself in the face and shrinks behind his hiding spot. Cover Blown.

    Crowded establishments are usually a good sign. Cayde considers himself lucky when he'd randomly selected the place to see if he could get a good meal. When one's new in town, the first experience of food is important by way of first impressions. ...also it doesn't hurt that the name of the joint happens to be the 'Lucky Cat Cafe.'

    The city of San Fransokyo has struck the Exo as a lively, colorful and very busy place that, if he had to compare to the civilization of his own Earth, might have been on par with the cusp of the Golden Age as the ball really started to get rolling by way of technology and enhancements by the drastic influence of the mysterious Traveler. It's not something he -thinks- he's witnessed personally, even in his former life as flesh and blood, but he'd like to think this place might have been what it was then. And he means to enjoy it. Since he can't find his way back to his own Earth, no sense in not enjoying it, right?

    He might draw more than a few odd looks as he walks through the door; a tall form that while his movements are casual, his face is undoubtedly metal. At least a Hunter's garb isn't nearly as heavily armored as a Titan's, but in this day and age Cayde probably still stands out pretty well, especially with his knife sheathed at his belt. Drifting after him and just over his shoulder is a small metal figure made up of angles and points with a glowing blue core.

    "...gosh I'm outta practice in these kinds of places. Do I ask for a table or do I order first?"

Aunt Cass is in the middle of turning to spot Hiro thanks to the higher volume of Baymax's voice when the new patron of the cafe takes her attention. She blinks, blinks again and just hands off her order pad to the customer she was listening to before with a quick, "Just write it down." She can't take her eyes off the most recent addition to her cafe. Not even when the order pad is held back up to her and she tucks it away. Her feet take her off towards Cayde where she just kind of stares at him and the floating thing. "Hi uh, welcome to the Lucky Cat." Her spiel is so distracted. "Table for...?" Cass doesn't even know where to begin.

Hiro slides out of his hiding spot at the following behest of Baymax and the box of various robot parts. "Shhh! Baymax! Keep it down!" Hiro is trying to play it cool and almost succeeds in not being the center of attention. 

Baymax looks at Hiro, then at the box in his hands, then back at Hiro and then once more at the box of parts... which he promptly lets go of and sends the bot box crashing to the cafe floor.

Hiro smacks himself in the face once more, "Unbelievable!"

    "Oh, hey! You in charge here? Table for one," Cayde says as he turns his glowing blue optics towards the woman. He seems pretty used to the stares, especially being in different versions of Earth where Exos are otherwise unheard of.

    His Ghost floats along after him, however at the sudden loud noise, both turn to look over in Hiro and Baymax's direction. Along with about half of the rest of the cafe-goers.

    Metal as he may be made up of, Cayde's face is very expressive, his brow plate shifting enough that even with his jaw fairly set for mobility, he can still pull off what looks to be a smirk what with his lidding optics.

    "Baymax. Remember when I said 'be quiet'?" Hiro starts.

    "Of course, Hiro. That was four hundred and seventy eight seconds ago. Are you experiencing loss of memory?" Baymax seems primed and ready for assisting with this possible issue.

    "What?! No! I just--" Hiro finally notices that the cafe's attention has turned towards them. "... Nevermind. Let's just have a seat. Come on."

    Hiro starts dragging the heavy box of robot parts across the floor, making way too much noise for a place of business but there's not much choice in the matter thanks to Baymax soft-stepping behind him so lightly. /Now/ he's being stealthy. Figures.

    "Right this way." Cass twirls a menu in her hand and leads the Exo off towards a table by the window. The table right next to the one that Hiro has just dragged all his stuff to, as well.

    Cass drops the menu on the table and gives a smile towards the metal patron. "Everything here is my own personal recipe. I put a little bit of me into every meal. I can start you off with a drink if you'd like?"

    With Cass showing him to a table, Cayde turns about to follow, not without a glance over at the boy and his...giant fluffy friend as they go to sit themselves as well. It's kind of hard not to miss someone like Baymax, and there's a bemused expression on the Exo's face as he watches. He exchanges another glance with his Ghost, shrugging before he settles himself into a seat, scooping up the menu.

    "Well, you do look tast-- ow!" Cayde scowls at his Ghost after the AI bumps off the side of his head. "What, it was right there- okay, anyway. Ahem. Sorry." He makes a sound like he's clearing his throat, purely all for expression given he's a robot and his mouth glows every time he opens it. Gently placing a hand over his Ghost companion to nudge him under the table, the Hunter glances at the menu for all of two seconds before looking back up at Cass.

    "Know what, since you've gotta be the expert in all things tasty here, I'll have whatever you might recommend for a drink. And maybe even for food, although if there's spicy and ramen, and perhaps in that order even, I might indulge..."

    The Ghost huffs a bit, having been demoted to under the tableness, so it floats around to the other end, peering over at the next table and the curious boy and the stay-puff marshmallow bot.

    "... Spicy. Ramen. A customer after my own heart. I've got just the thing." Cass' eyes are lit up as she spins to head off towards the kitchen! This takes her past the table where Hiro and Baymax are and she reaches out to ruffle Hiro's hair on the way past, "No blowing up the restaurant, Hiro! We've got a new customer." And with that, Aunt Cass is off to make sure that Cayde's food is fire-breathing.

    Hiro frowns and reaches up to make his hair messy again, "I haven't blown anything up in at least a week, Aunt Cass!" Hiro grins after his aunt and then empties the box of robotic parts onto the table. "Alright, Baymax. The Bot Fighting Championships are a month away." Hiro cracks his knuckles. "Let's get to work."

    Baymax isn't actually paying attention to Hiro right now because he's already turned himself somewhat upside down to look at the thing underneath the table that's next to theirs.

    "I have a good feeling about this place," Cayde says as he watches the woman rush off. He leans back in his seat, seeming to grin lopsidedly at Cass's warning to Hiro in passing. "Nothin' wrong with blowing up things now and then. It's therapeutic!" As though expecting a look from his Ghost, the Exo turns his head to smile at his AI companion...only to find it's not there. 

    But that's because it's under the table. Bright blue core staring at Baymax, its dingy red and white vertices twitching with curiosity, rotating about its core like the adjusting of a lens.

    "Hello," it greets the nurse bot.

    "Right?!" Hiro digs around in the pile of robot parts to come out with some of his tools so that he can start fiddling around with things. He waves a screwdriver in solidarity with the Exo patron at the table next to his. "See! This dude gets me!" is tossed playfully after Aunt Cass.

    "Hello." Baymax does some upside-down waving at the Ghost that's hanging about under the table. "I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." Baymax just keeps waving.

    The Exo Hunter Vanguard laughs. Now there's a kid after his own heart. Who doesn't like explosions? Cayde watches him a moment before looking over at Baymax, or at least what's showing of his hunched over form. Carefully so as not to knock his beautiful horn against the table edge, Cayde peers beneath it to see- ah, right where he left it. And Baymax. Oh, so that's what he's doing. 

    The Ghost peers at Baymax's hand and then back at those black button eyes. Hm. Experimentally it twitches its own vertices back and forth to mimic something of a wave. It's rather hard to do without hands, after all. "It is nice to meet you, Baymax. I do not need any healthcare, however it's rather thoughtful of you. I'm a Ghost. And this is-" It turns, starting slightly when it sees Cayde's glowing eyes looking at him. "-my Guardian, Cayde."

    Said Guardian waves brightly at Baymax. From under the table. "Hey there!" 

    Baymax doesn't have any emotion in his voice but there might be something hidden in there that shows a bit of growth beyond just being a nurse. "Oh. I am sorry that you are already deceased. Perhaps if I had known you before, I could have assisted." Maybe Baymax's scanning isn't bringing up who or what the Ghost is. Or maybe Baymax is just making conversation. Or maybe, just maybe, Baymax actually thinks this thing is an actual ghost. "If you have died recently, I could offer defibrillation."

    Hiro looks up from his messing around with robot parts and trying to figure out a design for his next attempt at securing the Bot Fighting Champion title... or some money. Who knows what Hiro's up to, /really/.

    "This is Hiro." Baymax explains, with a point up and over his upside-down shoulder. "He is my..."

    Hiro interrupts quickly, "Best Friend Forever!" Hiro sticks out his fist for some Baymax poundage.

    Baymax pounds it and blows it up. "Balalalala."

    "Ah, that's...not exactly what I meant," the Ghost tries to explain. "Ghosts are fragments of the Traveler, who sacrificed itself to save what remained of humanity from the Darkness. ...but I believe that in a way, as you say you are a healthcare companion, such is my function for my Guardian."

    Cayde just kind of squints between the two. "Yeah. Okay, can we have a conversation //over// the table like normal people?" he asks, straightening to sit again, if also to look back over at Hiro as the big white puffbot gestures in his direction. A brow plate lifts as they engage in this strange fistbump.

    "Huh. Well, nice'ta meet you, kid. So what's all that you got there?" 

    "Parts. Buildin' a 'bot. Championships comin' up." Hiro explains all of this as if everyone knows about it. He's seen a lot in his young days so he's not exactly too thrown off by talking to a living Exo Suit or something. Although, he does sneak glances every once in a while over whatever piece of machinery he's picking at.

    "I am sorry." Baymax swings himself back up to his side of the table. "Correct. I help Hiro. We help people. We are superhe--"

    "Baymax!" Hiro throws a piece of bot at Baymax's head. It bounces off and to the floor, of course. "Super jazzed for the Bot Fighting Championships! That's what we are!" Hiro forces a smile and changes the subject so quickly.

    Cayde leans an arm against the table as he eyes the whizkid piecing together machinery at the other table. He sits up, both brow plates arching then. "Bot Fighting Championships, eh?" 

    Coming back topside, his Ghost glances between the tables before drifting over to have a closer look at what Hiro's compiling. "So you build a robot to compete in this championship?" it asks, its blue core tilting towards the various pieces before it emits a light that beams over the pieces, scanning, it seems.

    "Yeah. I mean, that's what I do anyway. A lot of people buy pre-made bots and stuff. But I prefer to make my own."

    Hiro grabs something that looks like an arm and starts yanking wires out of it. "Gives me something to do when I'm not buried under homework."

    Baymax raises a finger. "It also helps Hiro become more financially responsible. The last Bot Fight was profitable." Baymax's chest lights up with a video of what is clearly illegal bot fighting and the exchanging of money between Hiro and a very angry loser of aforementioned match.

    Hiro tries to wave away Baymax's video but to no avail.

    "Nothing quite beats a customized piece, right?" Cayde says as he settles his arms on the table again to resume watching the boy at work. His Ghost twitches back as Hiro starts ripping wires out of that arm piece, and even its Guardian has to cringe a bit. He looks over to the video as Baymax brings it up. Well that's one way to make use of all that blank space.

    "Financially responsible. I needa remember that one." The Hunter chuckles, stroking his metal chin as he watches the video despite Hiro's attempts to shut it off. And then he pauses. "-wait, this place takes paper money? Crap, I need to stop forgetting about the currency differences."

    "Ooh, right. I don't know if the nice lady will take glimmer as payment for ramen, Cayde," his Ghost points out, glancing at its Guardian with a bit of a sheepish look.

    "Ah, don't worry about it. You guys seem pretty cool. My aunt runs this place. She'll take care of you." Hiro grins a little bit. "Besides, you might not want to finish it when you see how spicy she makes your ramen."

    Hiro tosses the wires to the side and starts digging through the pile for more parts. He has no idea what he's making but he's just kind of throwing something together. "There was a dragon kid in here once. Even he couldn't handle it." Hiro smiles at the memory. "Oh Jake..."

    Baymax's video finally fades away and he just continues to be as companion-y as robotically possible.

    Hiro gives a wave over the table. "If you want to build one, I've got plenty of spare parts here. Y'know, if you're going to be in town a while. You could enter. They're always looking for more Bot Fighters."

    The Guardian snorts. "Cast iron stomach. Maybe even literally. I'm not really sure. //But//. There hasn't been a spicy ramen I couldn't finish, and I'd hate to disappoint your aunt by not finishing her's." A glowing optic opens and closes in a wink. 

    His Ghost has gone back to observing as Hiro goes about putting something together while Cayde goes back to looking at the video until it's finished. He reaches over to poke at Baymax experimentally, because he's been good and trying to behave for the longest.

    "Oh. Um. Well, it sounds fun. Don't know about building one. Not really a builder. More of the shooty, explodey type," Cayde admits, scratching the back of his hooded head. "Saaay, you don't think they'd let me compete as is, would they?" 

    Even his Ghost turns about to give him a flat look.

    Baymax doesn't make a sound or move beyond being as fluffy and squishy as a poking finger proves. After all, he's just a Personal Healthcare Companion that's here to help those that are in need of his care.

    "Not as is..." Hiro's eyes are already lighting up in the same way that his lips are curling with a smirk.

"Cass' Spicest Ramen Deluxe comin' through!" Cass twirls past, dropping a drink and a bowl of ramen that smells like its on fire down on the Exo's table. She spins away because she has more customers. "I'll be back to hear how delicious it is!"

    Annnnnnd... the moment Cass is gone, Hiro looks up from the pile of robot parts and he's grinning like he's just come up wih an evil plan but not really like evil genius but more along the lines of mischevious.

    "But maybe they don't need to know exactly what you 'is'." Hiro holds up a half-designed vintage radio control. With (broken) extending antenna and everything.

    The Ghost swivels around, now giving Hiro a suspicious look. Cayde looks a bit too interested for his own good as he catches the sly look on the boy's face.

    And cue Aunt Cass with that bowl of ramen. The Exo blinks at it as it's set down, glancing back at Cass as the woman's already diving back into things. He picks up the chopsticks and eases it into the noodles. "Wow. If liquid flame had a scent..." He pulls up the chopsticks as though half expecting it to have disintegrated. Then he pulls up a mouthful of noodles. Looks like he's going for it.

    And pauses, if only because he's regarding the boy genius in a new and appreciative light. "....heh heh heh. Well, I haven't seen any other Exos wandering around here..."

    Hiro takes a moment to look around before leaning in and onto his table a bit more. This time he's peering over at Cayde as though he's looking to see where he can put things to make it seem like he's going to be the one controlling him. Cosmetics, of course.

    "Exactly." Hiro shrugs. "I mean, I don't know what those are but neither do they."

    Hiro grins, as if there was a camera that was zooming in on his face. Heist music would be good to hear right about now.

    "How about it? Want to make some money?"

    Cayde's somehow worked those noodles into his mouth, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin as he coughs. "//Wow//. She wasn't kidding about 'spiciest'..." he laughs, thumping a gloved hand over his chest a few times. He stirs the ramen around in preparation for another mouthful while he looks over at Hiro again.

    With the tilt of his head and the slight lidding of his optics, the Exo sure knows how to pull off an equally scheming look as he seems to grin back.

    "Kid. You just said the magic words."