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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 19, 2011 19:52:10 GMT -5
((Sep. 27th, 2027. 5:28 pm local time, leaving the Howard University College of Engineering, Architecture & Computer Sciences))
She had just gotten out of class, the next three days for her were clear, that meant free time, time to mess around with her projects, work a bit more on her cosplay outfit she had planned for Halloween, and chilling reading manga, but first, she had an urge to fulfill, and that was an urge for icecream. She ran across the campus to this little icecream shop nearby, going in and waving to the workers there who had gotten use to this little ball of energy coming in almost daily in some of the strangest outfits. Today the tiny woman was wearing black combat boots with black leggings, over which was a dark purple skirt with little bright purple ribbons along the hem, a sheer light purple sash tied around her waist so the end where it was tied hung down lower than her skirt did. She had on a dark purple button down shirt and a bright purple and black stripped tie, to complete the outfit, she had on these light purple star hoop earrings. The most amusing thing about this woman, however, was normally her hair, it came down to her thighs and was curled to the point the body her hair had made it wider than she was herself, an odd yet adorable appearance, and somehow this little woman pulled it off, even if she did always look rather out of place.
"Three scoops on a cone please? Banana and chocolate with cookie dough at the top?" she asked with a smile, her voice cheery as she went up to the counter and pulled her wallet out of her skirt pocket to be able to pay. As she stood waiting she was bouncing from side to side a little, though to others it may have looked odd, if someone actually looked they'd see she had on headphones and was mouthing the words to a song a little as she bounced, once one was aware of that it was pretty obvious she was moving to the music.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 4:48:22 GMT -5
Not far from the campus, Cira was on a daily run and was itching for some sugar to consume. Ice cream was the perfect solution, it was sometimes considered an appetizer before a large dinner later on in the evening, especially after giving a series of flight instruction at the local airport. She too was listening to music as she jogged along.
She was dressed in black Capri shorts, and an army-green shirt that read "ROTORHEAD" in capital letters across the chest with white and black sneakers. The attire was quite casual for her, as this was what she usually wore unless she had motivation to be formal. Cira was always dressed in clothes she could be ready to run in, and even though it was late September, the cooling but somewhat humid air didn't bother her in the least.
The slightly dark skinned woman was wearing headphones as well, simple black stereo headphones. Jamming to techno music, she transitioned into the line two people behind Heiwa by randomly cartwheeling to the end of said line. She had noticed Heiwa's unique appearance on her way over. A foreign exchange student? She glanced at the University not far behind her, considering this idea possible. Hm, college, she hadn't really gone that route given the contract she accepted and the rest of her career was achieved by gaining flight hours under a scholarship and well, not wasting the time and money granted by the scholarship also.
Cira curiously observed the woman's outfit from around the two people in front of her. She thought she seemed consumed in her own music so she decided to wait a bit until she was done ordering. When Heiwa passed her, Cira tapped her on the nearest shoulder gently with a single index finger. "Hey, cool outfit!" she said with a smile while while the guy ahead of her took his order.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 14:05:56 GMT -5
As Heiwa walked to a booth, she paused feeling someone tap her in the shoulder, hearing the woman's compliment she smiled, slipping her headphones off so she could hear properly "Thank you, made the skirt myself." she said before she took a lick off her icecream "Rotorhead? Heli pilot or enthusiast?" she asked, she had heard the term before in her advanced engineering class, though just in passing but it was enough to pick up on the meaning. She wondered if this person, considering the age, had just gotten out of a class herself or was just around the area and wanted icecream from one of the better shops around. "So you a student too or just had a random icecream craving?" she asked, trying to be friendly.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 18:49:28 GMT -5
Quickly making her order, Cira asked for cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears in a waffle cone, taking off her headphones and pausing the music so she could hear as well. As she paid up by passing some cash to the cashier, she glanced at Heiwa and smiled briefly. "Yer welcome! I'm both a pilot and helicopter fanatic, but not a college student. Just curing my craving for some sugar. Been out on a run since my last flight, I get around." she said cheerfully. She nodded her thanks to cashier for the change and waited for a bit to receive the ice cream.
"You have me curious, are you a foreign exchange student? Can't help but wonder."
Once receiving the ice cream, Cira delved into it happily, making sure to get some of the gummy bears as she ate it so they wouldn't fall off.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 20:19:18 GMT -5
Heiwa shook her head at that question as she moved to sit at one of the tables in the shop. "No, I'm a citizen, moved to America from Tokyo when I was 15 so I've been around for a while, Dad came here on business but the fact there was a school with good advanced engineering courses and computer science here was a big plus, so we settled." she said taking a bite out of the top scoop of her icecream cone. She knew that she didn't look like an engineering student, as least not the stereotypical one here in America. Most expected some geeky looking person with glasses or some big tough looking person stained with grease, not a tiny little Japanese girl with anime inspired fashion and a bubbly personality, but it was what she loved and what she was really good at, her work space at home attested to that but it was funny seeing how some people reacted to hearing she was an engineering student and more so when they found out this cute little thing with massive hair was also minoring in computer science. "I do really like the school though, they don't mind me getting ahead of the class, I heard some schools frown on that." she added after she finished her ice cream bite.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 20:33:39 GMT -5
"Hm, that sucks. I didn't know colleges did that, I thought they promoted that stuff. Well I'll never know, I don't have a real interest or need to go given I got enough duties, but to each their own! So you like the engineering and computer sciences eh? You remind me of some folks I know now that you mention that." Cira replied with a smile. "One of my co-workers and sorta family members can speak like 9 different languages, her name's Zoe. She's Chinese though, way shorter hair, but she likes to dye it occasionally." she added while working on her ice cream.
Cira had a feeling this younger woman would love to meet KITT (and the rest of her FLAG family as well most likely), but she would wait on that depending on how interactions went. If it was a short chat then maybe not, but who could tell for sure just yet.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 22:17:53 GMT -5
She nodded then, smiling "Yea, I've been into it since I was a kid, my parents use to come home and see their vacuum or toaster, one time lawn mower dismantled and me building other stuff with it. They started buying old, broken down things for me to take apart then, replacing stuff got expensive, and since I like engineering, well, computer science works really well with it. I want to create giant mechina one day, but that may be wishful thinking." she said with a small laugh. Her brown eyes went a little big then "Nine different languages? Wow, I only know English and Japanese, well unless you count computer programming languages, then I know 7, but most don't count those." she said with a small shrug before motioning to another chair at the table she sat at "Want to sit? I like talking to you already and wouldn't mind." she offered, glad to see another friendly face.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 22:29:40 GMT -5
"Sure I don't mind random chats at all, I like meeting new people!" Cira replied. She glanced around for a bench somewhere and walked over to the nearest one along the sidewalk as she worked on her ice cream some more. "I know some people who would count computer languages as a language, and I do too given what little I know, and really, building a big machine isn't such a daring dream, you'd be surprised how far you can go being so tech savvy if you give it a shot. I'm not one who could do it, but I know who people who have or can, and people that know others who have. I think you'd like some of the people I work with in one of my main jobs."
Cira munched on some of the waffle cone thoughtfully as she thought of an idea. "You looking for any internships? What year of college are ya in?"
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 22:45:40 GMT -5
The tiny woman paused then, looking at Cira with a mixture of surprise and astonishment "What? You know people who've made huge machines? What kinds? What sort of function? Do they make pure hardware or are the computerized systems? How. . ." Heiwa paused then with her questions, blushing a bit "Sorry, I get really excited about technology and engineering." she said with a bashful giggle, she really did get all excited about those kinds of things, the possibilities, and the awsomeness of it, she loved the fields for that.
"Fourth year, I graduate this year, and I've been looking for internships, most of the ones I've been offered already I've turned down, they just don't challenge the limits you know? They build the same things that have been built dozens, even hundreds of times, we already know how they work and what they do. It's like they just want to build more of the same. I want to make a difference, and to make a difference you have to be different. My dad always said that but I've learned it's true." she said with a smile as she took another big bite of her icecream before it dripped.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 22:54:39 GMT -5
"Erm, ya might not believe me at first, but they work with AI technology. I think it'd be right up yer alley if the other internships didn't seem that appealing, especially if yer going for a focus in robotics. The folks I work with in my main job know all about it, and are quite seasoned in the field. One of them also used to teach at a University in Colorado." Cira considered texting KITT then, she knew Heiwa would be highly inquisitive and curious about KITT with the way she was talking. And with the creation of Interceptor, Sarah's design, she would be in 7th heaven. She was sure they could teach her some things about programming and artificial intelligence the University certainly couldn't teach because of limited sources and knowledge and experience.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 23:10:42 GMT -5
Heiwa tilted her head to the side a bit "AI tech? I know there's been some experimentation with it, some have gotten to be pretty stable, I always wondered who would happen if you applied the AI research to robotics though that has been a goal for a long time. No one's publicly unveiled a working hybrid of AI and engineering yet that I know of, well, Unless you count when the cat was let out the bag with the Autobots, but they're different from man made machines." she said, in truth she had been excited when that information got out, she had always wanted to meet one but hadn't been so luckily yet and figured she never would be. "It certainly has my attention, I mean, if they take interns, I would love to try my hand at it. If anything the company of others who study what I do would be great. I can't tell you how many times I start talking about my classes and what I've done outside them and get a blank stare."
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 20, 2011 23:20:32 GMT -5
"If you do it right, the combo of robotics and AI tech is amazing. Yes, Autobots are very different from AI's, very. I know a few because of my job as liaison with NEST and Knight Industries." Cira replied with a smile as she thought of Jazz. "Aww hell, you gotta meet my ride. If you'd like, I can see about getting an internship set up for ya by the end of your academic year, if not a potential full career - though you'd probably have to be willing to move..." she took out her smart phone and alerted KITT to drive over when he could, since he was never far away from her.
KITT had idly been following Cira along on her runs of course, so he wasn't that far from the ice cream shop; he had been about a block or so away, going unnoticed. Even Cira had forgotten where he was after some time.
The shiny black Mustang stopped in front of them in the emergency pull over lane, scanners pacing, just sitting there. The windows were darkened- it was obviously presumed that an unidentified person was likely inside driving it.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 20, 2011 23:27:31 GMT -5
"Meet your ride?" she asked, normally introducing someone to a friend, you'd say friend, not ride, Heiwa had to admit it was an odd wording, but some people worded things differently. "And I wouldn't mind at all, I need an internship to get my final credit for my last semester, that or take another class but I have enough classes already." she said with a smile, it was true, thankfully her schedule gave her three days free a week. "You actually know Autobots? I've always hoped to meet one but, well, I know it's unlikely for me to be able to, those kinds of things don't just happen to a college student out of the blue normally." she commented, knowing that, truth was, luck normally wasn't that kind. She watched as the black mustang drove up nearby "Someone has style, the matte black stripes on the gloss black paint job looks pretty sweet on that Cobra." she said smiling a bit.
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Post by Cira Knight on Oct 21, 2011 1:44:03 GMT -5
Cira considered what Heiwa said next before responding. She gently patted KI3T's roof affectionately. "Well this one's mah ride, and also mah friend. He's like a brother I never had! You'll see why in a sec. KITT, this is uhm....my apologies, what is yer name? I'm Cira!" Cira never spelled out KITT's full name because KITT usually liked to do that himself. She turned to Heiwa then upon realizing she'd forgotten to introduce herself properly.
"Greetings, I am The Knight Industries Three Thousand, KITT for short. I am a one-of-a-kind advanced free-thinking microprocessor." KITT replied curtly, awaiting to hear the Japanese girl's designation. He'd heard some of their current chat and could immediately tell why Cira was interested in recruiting her.
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Post by Heiwa Middonaito on Oct 21, 2011 4:03:57 GMT -5
"Heiwa Middonaito, But you can just call me Heiwa!" she said to Cira with a small chuckle, though when KITT spoke the small woman paused completely, a look of surprise on her face "Oh wow." she managed to say as she just stared for a moment, as she did so her ice cream sloooooowly started to slip due to the angle the cone was being held at until it finally fell off the cone with a splat on the ground, but Heiwa could care less about the ice cream at this point "Oh wow. . ." she repeated, standing from her seat and walking up to KITT a bit "Free-thinking microprocessor, you mean learning AI without constrains of previous programming dictating actions? As in TRUE AI?!?" she asked before looking to Cira again "Cira, your ride is SWEET in SO many ways!" she said, laughing a bit, almost out of disbelief but mostly out of excitement.
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