Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
"Wait, Toybox has booths too?" I asked, surprised, as I looked at one of the displays. We had just returned from lunch at one of the booths outside the pavilion. The booth I was looking at had a small sign indicating it was Toybox, specifically the Dodge section.
"Toybox is here?!" Ruby asked excitedly, almost bouncing in place.
"Yes, they've been included on the cast list and given some showcase spots for the past 7 years. Although not many people on I-Island are happy since they continue to operate with heroes and villains alike." Penny said, pursing her lips into a thin line.
"We should take a look." Jinx whistled curiously.
Tinkers, originally a name for people with quirks who helped in the making of advanced technology, but not as it was canonically in Worm. In Worm, tinkers could create advanced technology with practically anything they found in their basements and voodoo magic from their powers, creating a kind of black box where something shouldn't work, but it did. Casually breaking many laws of physics.
From what I've discovered, many tinkers can receive mental blueprints, ideas, inspiration about technologies, and more, but they have to put in the effort themselves to achieve it. But I guess it helped.
Below the overall level of tinkers, yes, but some of the things they could build were still impressive, some things were far beyond our current technology, but everything was replicable.
And he was quickly joined by people who didn't have a direct quirk that helped them with his creations in any way, but perhaps simply gave him something like a sharper mind, steadier fingers, more capable eyes, normal things. But those people tried so hard that they were able to create things on par with the tinkers.
The term "tinkerer" quickly expanded to include more people. Today, it refers to all those capable of crafting support equipment, technology, and more.
So by definition, everyone who built something for the I-expo was a tinker.
Toybox, which started and remains a black market organization, is a group of people who wanted to create technologies, but didn't want to join any particular faction. They didn't want to be heroes or villains, but they lacked the resources to create anything. So Toybox gave them shelter and the resources to get started if they showed any kind of promise.
Due to its apparent neutrality, it was considered a black market organization, as they had no qualms about selling to either villains or heroes; it all depended on the person to whom the order was placed and Toybox's decision on whether to sell or not.
It started small, with between four and fifteen members in its early days, but after a few years, the organization began to grow and now has hundreds of affiliated members.
And there was a reason they were so famous and in demand. With a large membership, they could cater to a wide range of personalized needs, and most importantly, it was more cost-effective. And Toybox was based purely on reputation, so everything they sold had a seal of quality, making them functional and exceptionally durable.
Plus, there were some pretty important Tinkers that were difficult to replicate. Like Dodge. Dodge can create devices that create pocket dimensions, which were truly incredible and obviously stupidly expensive, but still highly sought-after.
"Wait, is that Dragon?" Ruby asked excitedly, pointing to the other side of the exhibit. I narrowed my eyes slightly, and yes, it was Dragon—well, not Dragon, Dragon, in person—but an exhibit in his name.
We quickly approached. As I expected, Dragon wasn't there in person. One of the most famous Tinkers shouldn't have time to be in charge of an exhibition. But there was someone enthusiastic enough to explain. My eyes widened slightly as I listened.
Containment foam. Dragon was promoting its containment foam. It was a liquid that was sprayed on, and upon contact with air, expanded to form foam. The foam was flexible and porous, allowing anyone trapped inside to breathe. But more important were its other properties.
It's tremendously impact-resistant, resistant to high and low temperatures, insulates electricity, its rubbery texture makes it difficult to pry open once trapped, and more. The end result? It made escape impossible once the containment foam trapped you inside.
What surprised me was that Dragon was advertising it at this point. In Worm, when the canon began, it had already been part of the PRT's arsenal for several years, and they used it everywhere. It was strange that it was being advertised now.
I suppose that would still be an answer that would go unanswered, as it's not like I could just run into Dragon and ask her why she didn't invent it a decade ago.
Well, besides the fact that she apparently wasn't on the island. The exhibition was there, but Dragon Arrives Tomorrow, so it was apparently occupied. I guess that's why the booth was pretty empty. I looked around and saw a spot that belonged to the PRT, but there was no one there at the moment either.
"It's nice to see Dragon create something like this," Penny said happily.
"Something to combat and neutralize villains?" Ruby asked excitedly. Penny just shook her head.
"No, something cheap, something meant for mass use, something useful," Penny said with a smile.
"Oh? Are you planning on putting a foam containment dispenser on your arm? " I asked playfully. Penny stopped and looked at her arm as if considering it.
"What a wonderful idea! I'd have to take the idea to Dad! Thanks for the idea! " Penny said with a huge smile in my direction. I snorted in amusement.
"If that's not what you meant, then what?" I asked again. Penny looked around and sighed.
"Dad doesn't like I-Expo," Penny said with a wistful smile. All three of us raised our eyebrows slightly.
"The famous Doctor Polendina doesn't like I-Expo? I find that hard to believe." Jinx snorted.
"Yes! I saw him quite happy when we met him! " Ruby said, confused. Penny shook her head.
"He was happy that I finally introduced my friends," Penny corrected. "But it's different, Atlas forced him to show up at I-Expo." Penny said sadly. "Dad thinks all technological advancements should be able to help people as a whole, but… how many of all the technological advancements we've seen actually made it to civilians?" Penny asked as she looked around.
"Yeah, I see where you're going with this," Jinx said with a grimace as she sighed.
"Most of the things created here are support equipment for heroes or weapons for hunters; those that aren't, are too expensive for civilians to afford, so it will take years or even a decade for anything here to be seen in public."
"Dad says I-expo has become a way of bragging. Having your name present at the expo already raises your reputation several notches. And also for bragging rights, as we mentioned, Piltover has its secret projects, just like Atlas, which they won't share with anyone, yet they come and show off their technology to the rest of the world, and it's unlikely they'll share it."
"So, the I- expo is based on vanity… or so Dad says," Penny finally finished. The three of us were silent for a few minutes. That… was really a lot.
"So, what do you think?" I asked simply in Penny's direction. Penny looked at us shyly.
"Dad may be right, and it's really sad from that point of view, but... I think it's amazing the things humanity can create if it sets its mind to it," Penny said with a small smile.
"Your dad sounds like an idiot," Jinx said without a filter.
"Jinx!" Ruby said, almost horrified. Penny, to our surprise, laughed lightly.
"As his daughter, I wouldn't put it that way," Penny said with a knowing smile. "We had... our differences. Dad was always protective of me; I guess that's to be expected. I never met the woman who gave birth to me, and Dad doesn't talk about her other than to say that she left me with him as soon as she was able to get out of the hospital and left."
"Then there was the whole complication with my quirk, so... Dad's pretty overprotective," Penny said with a grimace. "He puts cameras and other devices inside my body," Penny confessed with a grimace. We all opened our eyes wide.
"What?!" Ruby squealed, almost horrified.
"That bastard!" Jinx growled angrily. Penny smiled sadly.
"I always knew Dad was really overprotective, but that... that was a bit much, even for me. We had a huge fight. It's the reason I decided to go to UA," Penny continued.
"But… you seemed to get along." I tried to point out. Penny smiled more genuinely.
"Oh, yeah. We had a lot to talk about, and we finally… figured things out. But I'd already been accepted to UA. We ultimately decided it was necessary for my development, and I accepted. We talk often, and we're getting back to where we once were, but… yeah," Penny said softly.
"That's good." I said with a small, encouraging smile. Penny nodded happily.
"Yeah… I don't like fighting with Dad, but I'm glad it happened. I mean, he was always very overprotective and treated me like a little girl. I guess he sees me as a woman now, someone capable of making my own decisions." Penny chirped. We all lapsed into a comfortable silence.
"So… I really have an existential question," Jinx began, breaking the silence. "Were you completely robotic in your mother's womb? Do pieces grow in you, or do they grow with you, or what? " Jinx asked, genuinely curious.
"That's the same question I'm asking myself! I thought Dr. Polendina created pieces and replaced them every year or something! " Ruby said excitedly.
"I mean, there's that family of heroes, the Tenya, with an engine that runs on orange juice or something similar as fuel. From what I understand, the engine parts grow with the person; they also regenerate and adapt to different intensities or damage. So it's not surprising that Penny's metal parts grew with her." I pointed to the side.
"Oh?! Orange juice as fuel?! What turns you on, Penny?! " Ruby asked excitedly in Penny's direction. Jinx and I snorted.
""Phrasing,"" we said at the same time. We smiled at each other slightly. Ruby blushed.
"I mean it's internal engine!!" Ruby tried to correct herself. Jinx and I just smiled wider. "No, wait, not that either!" Ruby said in a panic. Penny laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, I understood what you meant," Penny said. I could see her eyes twinkle slightly. "And I must confess, boys and girls really get me going. The sight of my friend Miyamura getting out of the shower was really hot. And the sight of you, friends Ruby and Miyamura having sex too— " Penny said with a huge smile. Ruby blushed.
"Penny!" Ruby moaned in embarrassment as she interrupted Penny. Jinx and I burst out laughing.
"Joking aside, anything normally edible. It breaks down into biomass and can be used as fuel," Penny said cheerfully.
"Wait, you have an engine that runs on biofuel?! I saw you shoot giant laser beams from your swords. How do you get that much energy from just biomass?! " Jinx asked incredulously. Penny blinked.
"I mean... I'm that amazing?" Penny tried, but she looked confused herself. I burst out laughing.
"Yes, you are." I said with a smile. Penny jumped slightly and looked away, blowing a bit of smoke from her ears.
"So that means if you don't eat, you die?!" Ruby asked, scandalized. Jinx snorted.
"Like any human," Jinx snorted amusedly. Penny looked delighted at those words.
"Yes… like any human." Penny repeated happily.
"So… you as a baby?" Jinx asked once more. Penny smiled widely.
"A woman's gotta have her secrets, friend Jinx!" Penny chirped. I snorted in amusement.
After that, we continued strolling through everything we could find. Penny answered some questions while we were walking. We didn't really rush to see any of the exhibits. We still had a few more days on I-Island; we had time.
"The I-Expo preview will close at 6 p.m. Thank you for joining us. Enjoy your evening." We heard the pre-recorded voice over the loudspeakers. I looked up at the sky, and yes, the sunset was at its peak. We had really been having so much fun that we barely noticed the passage of time.
"Aaawww, am I done?" Ruby complained.
"Well, we still have the invitation to the housewarming party tonight." I pointed out playfully. I heard Ruby and Jinx moan loudly.
"Do we have to go?" Ruby complained childishly.
" Yeah, let's not go! It'll just be a bunch of old guys chatting or making nice. We can go to one of the bedrooms and have fun." Jinx said as she snorted. It was at that moment that Jinx's scroll seemed to beep. Jinx took it out of her pocket and began reading it before groaning loudly. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Jinx growled.
"So, are you wearing a dress?" I asked playfully, my eyes sparkling. It was almost obvious I'd provoked that reaction. Jinx glared at me.
"My annoying sister-in-law thinks it's a good idea for me to be at that stupid party as a Kiramman," Jinx growled. "She's just getting revenge for VI, that bitch. Throwing the ball at me when it's none of my business," Jinx growled.
"It really sounds like you two have a wonderful relationship." I laughed at her. Jinx snorted.
"I hate her," Jinx retorted, though I could sense the lack of actual hatred behind her words. She might find her annoying, but she definitely didn't hate Caitlyn, which I guess was a good thing. "But she did tell me if I went with her, she'd let me help with her revenge plot against Vi, and that's a really tempting option," Jinx said, wrinkling her nose.
"Don't worry, my friend Jinx, we can be together and suffer together!" Penny said with a smile.
" Yay! I'm the only one who doesn't have to suffer through the party! " Ruby said happily.
"You're coming with me." I said without hesitation.
"What?! Noooo!" Ruby said dramatically as she knelt down and screamed at the sky. I rolled my eyes in amusement.
"Come on, we have to get ready. If we're late, there won't be sex for you tonight." Ruby immediately stood up and started walking toward our rooms.
"Let's go!" Ruby chirped, her mood changing completely. I snorted and looked over my shoulder at the two girls.
"I'll send them a message where to meet us, let's go together! I'm sure Midoriya and his group will have the same idea, so wait for a message from them too!" I warned Jinx and Penny before letting myself be guided. I suppose this is where the I-Island plot begins. I really hope nothing happens.
A/N: Now, what I had already announced, as I mentioned last week, this coming week I will be taking a short vacation. I have two weeks of vacation from work, but I will only not be publishing next week, August 8th.
I should be back with regular chapters on August 15th.
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.