The Tinkerer

"Yeah, doubt they'd be a match for any of us! Wantin' and needin' ain't the same, though, and figured you might take less bruises with someone at yer back!" Admittedly, Tinker would probably endure some of those bruises himself if he were helping, but he could manage, probably. He didn't start taking fighting seriously without thinking about that. "If you wanna handle it on yer own though, go ahead! I won't stop ya, just figured I should ask." He placed another of the cakes in his mouth; it really wasn't a big deal. It didn't seem she had real trouble with it, after all.

What was a bigger deal was the question of who he'd actually talked to. And, well, she was right. He really hadn't talked with anyone since the coronation. This wasn't new, though he wasn't exactly sure when he started to isolate himself like this. Before the whole almost-dying thing, the most he interacted with most people was for transactional stuff. He was even a bit of a loner on Fauxterra. While nowadays was a bit of a step up from those days, he still fell back on those lonely habits far more than he should. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't really sure how he ended up like this. He swore he used to be better at some point, but he didn't recall when that changed...

"Eh, well, 's fine. You ain't wrong, really. 's a bad habit, had it a while. Just... not used, well, havin' friends, y'know? Or bein' part of a team." He remarked, one hand idly rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I need ta work on it, 'specially if I'm actually gonna work with the Novas."

It caught him completely off guard when she suggested he work at Plant if being too outgoing wasn't for him. "I mean, uh thanks for the offer! Have ta pass for now. Well, on anythin' official, anyway. I'll probably show up there at some point, and I'd be willin' ta help a bit when I do, but I'll probably wanna mostly stick to Lux for now. Just way mare used to this place." Admittedly, he planned to visit Plant for a bit, only really restrained by his own bad habits. Still, he didn't want to commit to sticking to a planet he'd never visited before. "I'll give it thought when I do visit, though!"

As Zuqetta began to gather up the plates, Tinker quickly downed the rest of his coffee. He didn't eat nearly as many sweets as the Saiyan royal, but that wasn't an issue. Sweets were supposed to be more of a treat, anyway. He quickly got up from the magic seat, before the Saiyan royal dropped the pretence and revealed their intentions to take the throne.

"Wait, really!?" Tinker exclaimed; the thought of her making good on her authority to actually rule Plant had crossed his mind very briefly, though he hadn't expected her to follow through, especially not so soon. Certainly explained why she brought it up so quickly, though. "Well, helluva responsibility yer droppin' on me, ya know. Can't say I was expectin' to ever work fer a Queen." When accepting the meetup, he assumed this was supposed to be a casual thing, so he hadn't considered the business side too much, only bringing it up when it felt natural to do so. It was expected to be something to make good on at a future date, not something to focus on now.

Tinker didn't particularly mind though, and he wasn't gonna say no. Given that he'd already offered to help, a more formal agreement wasn't a problem for him. It didn't take long for him to recover from the sudden news. "That said, yeah, course I'm willin'! I'll warn ya though, I don't really know that much about medical stuff. I know some stuff past the basics, but I'm mostly good on the mechanical end of things. Maybe I can do prosthetics if people need 'em, but I've only ever made the one. Never had to try hands or anythin' like that."

The metal tail flicked idly behind him with that statement. What medical care he did know beyond the basics pretty much applied to his own body, learning to attach the prosthetic tail and make it work as he wanted. That said, the knowledge should probably transfer somewhat to other appendages to some degree. He could probably work out how to make prosthetics for other species, though given how much of a pain it was to get the tail working, it might actually be better to get them someone the healing goo most of the time. That stuff was stupidly effective, explaining the price tag behind it. Apparently, even the green stuff had limits, however, especially if the wound wasn't treated quickly.

But that was getting way too into the technical side. The point was, the Fauxbian was willing to do the work. Tinker could sense a little guilt about hiding all of this from him, but he didn't particularly mind. It's not like it hurt anyone, and it was a perfectly nice meetup regardless.

"Ah, don't worry, 's fine! I had fun, too! Again, ain't gotten out much, so this was good for a change a pace!" He remarked casually, the jagged teeth bent into a cheery smile; said pet name was probably more accurate to his workplace's name than intended, since he simply didn't care for a more proper name. It worked, so why bother with something else? "Already mentioned I was plannin' to visit Plant anyway, so there'll be no problems hirin' me! I'll try to find a time after I meet up with Jinx. And if ya want anythin' else built or fixed, let me know!"

Tinker's grin was sharp in response, not that he was capable of any other kind of smile. Honestly, it was difficult to get mad about any ulterior desires. It didn't really hurt anyone, so why get angry or upset. Maybe that view was a bit lax, but a lax view seemed perfectly fine around friends. Really, it just meant more work, which wasn't in itself a bad thing. Not to him, anyway.

"Yeah, m' pretty sure I can handle it. And even if I can't, I can learn pretty quick if I have to!" Well, there remained some lingering doubt about whether he could accomplish everything she needed done, but as long as the machines weren't too esoteric, Tinker felt he could work on stuff fine. Probably.

As the subject of a secret project was brought up, Tinker couldn't help but wonder what she actually had planned. A fun wonder, mind, not a cautious one. "Gotcha. Guess a lotta Tuffles still wouldn't be too happy 'bout a Saiyan ruler, and you wanna be careful in general." Tinker didn't know much about the situation, but he knew there was at least one war. It'd figure that she'd prefer someone else to make something important to her, just in case. Didn't hurt to be cautious, even without the bad blood. While he was curious, he was in no rush to learn what the plan was. If she didn't want to say yet, there was no reason to force the info out. "Ain't gonna force ya ta tell me right now, I ain't in any rush ta learn. If ya actually want me to do it though, I'll need info at some point."

As the future queen walked away, Tinker waved a large hand as she did so. No need to drag this out too long. Besides, he actually had to get around to finishing whatever work he could back at the workshop. All he had to do was not stall out again, but he should be able to do that this time...