Hold It In (RWBY/Transistor)

[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?

[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?

[x] I'm working for you, sort of!
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[x] plz no stab

[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] I'm working for you, sort of!
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

After a good night's sleep and doing some thinking, I've realized that I don't care if it's a trap or not. Jaune would warn her about the spyware because he'd consider it the right thing to do.

Prok said:

"You have five seconds to explain who you are, and why you're in my room, on my laptop."

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Also, I'm a little amused by how I'm the first one to have Jaune actually introduce himself.

[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] I'm working for you, sort of!
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] I'm working for you, sort of!
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] Later, when not in immediate risk of eye stabbing: I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

Got convinced to switch to this.

I don't think we can say all that in five seconds and it doesn't contain a specific request to keep our eye.

I'll try to think of a better vote at work.

[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] I'm working for you, sort of!
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?

This middle part of the multi-part vote, alone is sufficient information to raise doubt on Jaune's accountability in this. Right to the point.

I don't like "I'm working for you, sort of!" That "sort of!" Suspicious as hell, and unneccesary.

Plz no stab is a given.

Voting low profile. If this is a test, because Jaune drew too much attention day-to-day with Transistor not in a pocket dimension, or by completing tough jobs for someone his age, it'd be annoying to be shanghaied or blackmailed into service by the military, being surveiled while he codes, when he could be holding hands with cute huntresses.

The money might go out the window if Jaune is blamed for collateral damage, but a contained fight might still be profitable. It's Weiss's room, and she threatened the innocent IT guy, so she might be held accountable

If the Hotel didn't already have a recording, Jaune might. Jaune can point out the Hotel's surveillance system. Backup copies are necessary in his line of work, so as a last resort if the Hotel's data was tampered while he did the laptop job, Jaune can explain away, and pull the data with the Hotel's code, from the Transistor. He has a pacemaker, also used at his pre-huntsman academy as a weapon: Not indicative of Jaune's hyper-intelligence, nor the Transistor's nature. The addition of a recording program would show that Jaune is smart, but it's not advanced on the level that reshapes reality, and can be explained easily.

I'm hoping Weiss is unreasonable, picks a fight even after the explanation, so we can Turn(), then bludgeon her with a 300 pound supercomputer. If she stays right next to him, Jaune won't have to spend memory to travel to her, before he starts his combo. Could blame the semblance, luck, and being unable to replicate it due to health issues. Atlas Military or SDC goes REEEE.

[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?

I see foot in mouth is alive and well.

[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] I'm working for you, sort of!
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?

[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?

This is just to start the conversation, right? @Prok

If it is, then we can mention the spyware later, when NOT at gunsword-point.

BurningIce53 said:

[X] Tell her the truth

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This made me think of this gif immediately. Thanks!

Anyway, my vote:
[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

Removed the "I'm working for you, sort of" vote because that makes us sound suspicious.

Redshirt Army said:

How sophisticated is the spyware? Can we put a backdoor in their backdoor, so we can spoof the logging to some degree?

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The Transistor could change the receiving IP address so it receives the data first for editing, then send it on to the SDC saying whatever it likes, probably without so much as a millisecond's delay.

The problem is, of course, that that's just adding an extra step for the horrific breach of privacy, and makes you an actual part of the problem.

Chlof said:

Hey look, eyepatch buddies! We should start a club with Ada. The 'My eye was fucked up in a foundational moment of my character' Club.

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I mean, yeah, it's justified because White Trailer, so yeah she'd have an eyepatch at least, but honestly, the number of eye injuries in this quest, especially the skewed ratio of who gets them, is beginning to weird me out.

Ashmaker said:

[x] I'm working for you, sort of!

Yeah, I'll just vote for the thing that doesn't mention the spyware, because it seems blatantly obvious pretty likely that testing Jaune to see if he could notice it was the whole point of this exercise. Seriously, how would the virus even have gotten on Weiss' stuff? Does she really seem like the type to be that careless?

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SystemicHatter said:

I think the people who think it's a test for Jaune are right, because this sets off so many alarm bells.

First, it seems likely that the job offer was likely a way to lure Jaune (or someone of similar expertise) to where Weiss was staying and offer him the money. What was their plan if that didn't work?

Second, it seems likely that whichever parties in the SDC responsible for this did a background check on Jaune. Even if this is purely a small cabal in the SDC pulling illegal shit, he's a relative unknown entering the vicinity of their heiress, so it would be easy to justify. What do they know and what could they infer about Jaune's ability with computers?

Third, was this spyware specifically designed for Weiss, or was it something that could reasonably be installed in another context? Say, SDC corporate computers, perhaps. If it was designed specifically for Weiss, that would imply they wanted Jaune to succeed, which I don't think they did.

Fourth, why Jaune? They didn't need Jaune to get the virus on Weiss's device. Unless of course the virus was real and the SDC decided to take advantage of it. In which case, again, why Jaune? If Weiss had called for IT assistance, she wouldn't have her rapier out. If the SDC wanted to sneakily send someone in, they clearly had the capability. They also could have had Jaune in and out easily without meeting Weiss at all if they wanted.

So if it is a test, I reckon it's of two things. First, of Jaune's technical expertise (which has been brought up). Second, of Jaune's integrity, because why offer that amount of money if they didn't want Jaune to be forced to make a choice? They could easily have done it much less suspiciously and for much less money. Sure, Jaune would have picked up on it anyway, but they wouldn't have needed someone with Jaune's expertise.

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Let me try and address you real quick-

As far as Greaseball is concerned, absolutely nothing he said was a lie- using technical truths to conceal the entire truth of the situation, sure, but never outright lying. As far as you know, your job is just to fix the tech and go- the spyware was never mentioned, and no indication was made to indicate that he knew of it.

Also, your employer is the SDC- their usual negotiating tactic is to just throw a zero onto the end of their previous number. The money could be a trap, but it's also the kind of 'throw an arbitrary amount of money at him until he says how high when we say jump,' amount of money you can expect from the SDC when dealing with individual contractors, and as far as the content of the virus itself, you would be legally required to report its presence on her devices to the proper authorities, in order to cover your own ass if nothing else. I realise I should have made it a little clearer in the update proper, but yeah, that's the level of fucked up you're dealing with, on top of almost bricking the tech. It's just a genuinely nasty little thing that's designed to mess your day up as much as possible.

That is, if nothing else, at least one of the reasons your silence is being bought.

The virus itself is very much real, and very much being skimmed over because I know some things are better left to the imagination, and you can't confirm how the virus got on there, only that it did. Either way, her computers do need to be fixed up- test, no test, shady or not, your services are needed as an IT technician.

As for Jaune drawing attention... I mean, come on. Look at him! Of course he draws attention!

Floating weapons platforms, uncommon, weapons capable of exotic energy manipulation, rare, sure, weapons that act as something other than a weapon and have shown a tendency towards sudden, inexplicable upgrades in performance and attack variety, aka, Functions? Rare.

Something that does all of that, and is also never seen more than a hundred metres from its owner at any one time?

One of a kind. You're interesting to a lot of people.

I will say that, as far as jobs go, he's very good at covering his tracks, and if he was being observed by the SDC or any kind of military, he would know.

If you want my advice, your immediate concern should be the angry girl pointing a sword at your neck, before you worry about any kind of megacorp trying to test the limits of your amorality.

I will say, this whole 'it's a test from the SDC' theory surprised me, I'm quite happy that people put that much faith in me as a writer to assume I'd have layers to my substories

Dr. Granola said:

[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?

This is just to start the conversation, right? @Prok

If it is, then we can mention the spyware later, when NOT at gunsword-point.

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At this point, I think I can use whatever plan wins to guide the conversation as a whole.

Currently, after slapping together all its variations, I mean you're all basically voting for the same thing anyway, @Ashmaker's vote is winning!

Also, I'd like to point out that I said we'd meet someone interesting at this job and I was right so ha.

Edit: I forgot, I came up with a thing.

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."

Prok said:

Let me try and address you real quick-

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Yeah, like I said later, it didn't really matter if it was a test or not, since Jaune's reaction should be focused on the girl, not some hypothetical what if scenario.

Prok said:

I will say, this whole 'it's a test from the SDC' theory surprised me, I'm quite happy that people put that much faith in me as a writer to assume I'd have layers to my substories

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I'm following a lot of quests, some of them require more paranoia than others. That might colour my thinking sometimes, even when it shouldn't.

z3r0gamer said:

Also, I'd like to point out that I said we'd meet someone interesting at this job and I was right so ha.

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I don't recall anyone arguing against that theory, but I might be remembering wrong.

z3r0gamer said:

Edit: I forgot, I came up with a thing.

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."

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Utter brilliance. If anything keeps us from getting stabbed in the eye today, this is it.

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."
[X] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.

When in doubt, tell the truth. When your life is this strange, it inflicts Confuse on rational people and prevents them from taking action.

@Prok has adding your version of my Pipe() function to the Function Research Tab been forgotten?

Personally, I'd say treat the spyware just like we're a thorough professional:

"all right, fixed the virus on your computer. Now I'm loading the image in. Just for the sake of thoroughness I'll check this for viruses too. Huh ... seems like your computer was already infectedwith some spyware before the image was made. I'll clean that out too but I suggest you do some thorough identity theft prevention after this, who knows what passwords and sensitive information the bastards already stole."

Though I can think of one actually legit reason for this: if the feed purely goes to her personal head of security

Prok said:

QM has answers if you have coin.

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Huh?

Prok said:

I will say that, as far as jobs go, he's very good at covering his tracks, and if he was being observed by the SDC or any kind of military, he would know.

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In perfect fairness, Big Brother(s) are almost certainly watching him unless he's taking steps to actively avoid being in public or using the CCT. Thing is, Big Brother's watching him and everyone at he same time, and for all that he's unique... well, so is every other Huntsmen and he's not particularly useful or of interest to any of the big players at the moment. Jaune'll notice if and when that changes, but as always information overload is the securest defense against corporate attention.

(Of course ongoing interaction with a runaway heiress is one of the things that makes one a POI, especially given everything Prok listed and an imminent meeting with Atlas's superweapon. )

Red Bovine said:

Huh?

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Never played Morrowind?

Either way, Prok's saying he'll answer if you can get enough votes to spend the fate points on it. It's seven iirc.

z3r0gamer said:

When in doubt, tell the truth. When your life is this strange, it inflicts Confuse on rational people and prevents them from taking action.

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....you know, this is both clever and insightful and best of all succinct so you tell me what reaction you want on this post because I can only give one.

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."

z3r0gamer said:

[X] "My name is Jaune and I was hired to fix your laptop by a guy with a ponytail. Please don't stab me in my eye I only have one of those left today."

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That seems like a horrible option really. It doesn't really tell Weiss anything at all or even goes into depth explaining things. This seems pretty much like joke vote right when we were warned to be very careful.

Well, you've got to remember we're being put on the spot and a social butterfly Jaune is not. This answers both of Weiss' questions immediately in a manner consistent with how I think Jaune would act when surprised with a Myrtenaster to the throat after the day he's had. To paraphrase a RL friend of mine, he's running dangerously low on spoons at this point. We had five seconds to explain and the explanation itself takes about four when I run through it out loud in my "panicked fast talk" voice and there's no way Jaune is going to give a tactical level SitRep right now without using Turn(), which would flare our Aura I'm pretty sure.

@Prok this is actually a good point. Can Jaune Turn() to figure out what to say?

Captain Clever said:

tell me what reaction you want on this post because I can only give one.

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I'm always fishing for Insightful.