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Reed has partially disconnected.
*
Once upon a time, 3 weeks ago, a woman known as Crystal…friends with Sue Storm, dropped off a man named Maximus, who needed a place to live, and apparently couldn't be trusted to live at the X-Men school. So, Crystal dumped her cousin on Sue, with a little warning to keep a general eye on the guy. Maximus is not a bad tennant. He was super mopey for about a week. Then he stalked Thing out to Chinese food. He's been lurking around labs when he can get in, and also disappears into his room for days. He pops out when he's feeling like he needs to know other people exist, and has been mildly stalking the famous Fantastic Four, but other than Thing, and some contact with Sue during an event (if that happened yet), he hasn't really had much interaction.
*
Reed's eyebrow raises impossibly high.
"I think you're going to have to raise it a little higher, Ben." Pulling back, Reed's hand comes up to his chin as he ponders. As we pull back behind Reed we see Ben, hunched over, balancing an impossibly big and heavy piece of machinery. In Reed's hand is a large screw, and it appears they're trying to find just the right point to screw two of the pieces together.
"And a little to the left."
The machine has a big name. Reed has mentioned it several times now. The only person who has been impressed at its utility has been him.
*
While Reed directs Ben, Sue lingers along the side of the room, presumably looking at a sample under a microscope. Sue's face contorts into a grimace as the machinery is heaved together. "Maybe… it would be wise to, in the future, build it where you anticipate requiring its use?" Doctor Storm's expression sours and her arms cross tightly over her chest. "Just a suggestion." She shrugs. Advice from the sidelines may or may not be appreciated, but it's happening anyways.
*
"Right. To the left and a little higher. You got it!" Ben's voice rumbles slightly as he grunts and shifts the piece of machinery. He's slow, methodical. He doesn't want to damage anything. He knows how expensive most everything here is.
"How's that look?" There's hope in his voice that it's in just the right position now.
He flashes Sue a grin. "You'd get no complaints from here. But hey, who am I to say? I'm just a pilot who has a degree in engineering." He chuckles a little.
*
Someone left the door open. It was probably Ben. Party foul! And that's how you get ants. Or in this case, a Maximus. They are /doing things/. Things with /technology/, which is just about his favorite sort of thing. So in he slips, wearing a long white, snug suit, bare feet, hair curling into ringlets these days, with a dash of eye makeup. A long white lab coat makes up the rest of his fashion decisions for the day. This is his moment! His in! He sweeps forwards and puts his finger on the side of the heavy machine, and gives it an arrogant little nudge, just a centimeter, to correct the slight difference.
*
"Why?" Reed asks, nonplussed. Clearly they have Ben for this sort of thing.
And then with Maximus' entry, he turns with a bit of surprise at the newcomer, but when the machine is pushed into place he nearly skips over toward the machine to put the screw into place. "Perfect!"
*
Reed's question prompts Sue to finally rise and tread towards the machine in question, following Maximus as she does so, and things are brought to their best position. Her lips purse slightly and she shakes her head slightly. "Because if you built it where you wanted to use it, then Ben could work on some of his other pursuits. Piloting. Engineering." Things. Stuff.
Maximus is regarded with a vague lift of Sue's eyebrow. "Welcome to the lab," she offers lowly. "We have… a few resources."
*
"Really, it's fine. I'm a rock man. If I can't do some heavy lifting, I guess there's no point in me having a rocky outer layer. But I do appreciate the sentiment." Ben offers to Sue. "Though there is a point about me working on other persuits. Like engineering. I do like to tinker and to create, you know." That last bit is directed to Reed. "Though I've been in a bit of a dry spell lately…I could use some minds to bounce a few ideas off of." He shrugs a little.
Maximus gets an amused look from Ben. "Well now, it's our resident guest!" He smiles a little. "And it seems you saved us from a bunch more 'left' and 'up' and 'right' and 'down'. Thanks!"
*
Maximus draws in a deep breath. "Hello. I am Maximus." Directed mostly at Reed, who he hasn't met yet. He pulls his finger away once Reed gets the screw in, but he caresses a bit of the machine afterwards. "yessss, certainly. I would do anything to…be able to tinker in here. I have a mind for it…if you ever need help." He tries to smile nicely, but its still a little on the overdone side. He's trying.
*
Reed's lower lip comes out a little bit as his eyes go wide, looking from Sue to Ben. "We have a guest?" After a long, awkward moment, Reed shrugs his shoulders. "We can always use a bit of help around here. Reed's arm stretches out to shake Maximus' if he is so inclined. "Pleasure. Reed Richards."
*
"A rock man, but still a man," Sue offers warmly towards Ben. She has more to say on the topic, but is easily taken in by the guest and his appearance. "Yes, we do have a guest," she offers. "I told you several weeks ago while you were in the lab working on," she motions towards the large piece of machinery, "well, the core of it. The fine work. I distinctly remember because you had a very large magnifying glass in front of you which you were using to focus on the work. It stood out because it also magnified your face on this side of the glass."
*
"You…you tried to tell Reed something while he was looking through that magnifier of his?" Ben can't help but shake his head, finally removing his hands from the machine. "He was probably too distracted by his tinkering to remember." He says with a little chuckle. "Maximus has told me all about his interest in tinkering. We talked about it over Chinese at that place not too far away that I like."
*
Maximus pulls his hand away from the machine and shakes Reed's hand, eyeing his streeetch to do it. Interesting. He squints his eyes. "Oh good, then, Reed Richards, I will start right away." Another flash of a smile. "To, ah…build Miss Storm an electric device that makes certain you are paying attention to what she says." His eyes dart to Sue. "Yes, the Chinese was good. I. miss. it. I miss a lot of things. So…now that you have built this thing, what are you going to do with it? Is it a commission? Or, just one of those things you make up in a dream, so you build it to find out what it does?" He looks at Ben, "Do you ever do that?"
*
Reed looks to Sue, then to Maximus, then with a pained face to Ben, then back to Maximus. "Well, I mean. We shouldn't be hasty, after all." Reed is a man who has done amazing things, but he is a man. Remembering everything women say is probably a Pandora's box he doesn't want to open. "It uh…well."
*
When Ben points out the trouble with telling Reed while working, Sue returns, "That would mean finding time when Reed could pull himself away from his work." She manages a small smile for Reed, laced with obvious fondness. She issues Maximus a warm smile. "I'm not sure an electric decide would be terribly effective."
*
Ben rolls his eyes a little. "I'm sorry, Reed. Sometimes you get a little too involved in your work. It's not a bad thing. I've done it too! But still, I could've been a bit more…I could have said that differently."
He tilts his head at Maximus. "Oh, well. Yes. I suppose. I mean, I'll have a dream every now and then that'll spark an idea of sorts. So I guess I do get ideas in dreams."
He chuckles at Sue. "Very true. I've known him a long time. I should've known that by now!"
*