Entrance Lounge (Open!)

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire had uploaded Hestia to the grid, only moments before entering herself. She had previously been to the grid and gotten her Identity Disk so when she arrived, everything was in place for her. She hoped that Hestia wouldn't be hard to find. Tron City was a beautiful place, though Claire barely knew anything about being on the Grid. A couple of helpful programs came over to the blonde user and directed her to a building. She recognized it as being the place she was directed to after getting outfitted and a disk.

The building was a fairly nice lounge, mainly used to give users a chance to get used to being digitized and learn a few things about the grid. Admittedly, Claire didn't remember most of it.

After getting inside the building, she took a seat and started to wait. The user suddenly realized that she didn't really know what to expect as far as her program went. Hestia had thus far hadn't been face-to-face with her user so Claire had to wonder what sort of personality her creation had, let alone what Hestia looked like. Given how programs tended to look like their creators, it posed an interesting question. Hestia was a compilation program with Tron as the base. Would Hestia look closer Allen/Tron's likeness? A combination? Or would the program have been changed enough to look like her?

Now she was getting more worried. What if Hestia was disappointed with being moved to the Grid? What if...what if...what if...she was probably over-thinking things.

[HESTIA]

Hestia had gotten her new disk and armor not long before Claire had been taken to the lounge. There was, of course a disk for her already back in Claire's system but nothing this sleek. It was really more like a whirlwind to the program who had spent almost no time doing these sorts of things. Her entire existence thus far was a candle compared to the raging inferno that the Grid was. Not to say that it wasn't a pleasant place to be, there were already a few programs that were more than willing to help her. Aside from a current map of Tron City being uploaded to her disk, Hestia was ready to go to the lounge. The security program had been notified that Claire, was even waiting there for her!

Once she was allowed to, she immediately headed for the lounge with one of the guide programs. It was just in case the map had a malfunction. Either way, she got to the room and after a brief inspection spotted who had to be her user. There tended to be a connection between a user and their program, and she was positive in that moment she felt it. "Claire!" She shouted, before rushing over and almost tackling her. "I'm right, right? Greetings, my user!"

She was positively delighted and almost hyper. While her move to the Grid was a bit sad, it would overall benefit her. The programs on Claires computer, at least the security program she had be-friended on there, had told her that at least. She missed him, but it didn't diminish the joy she felt at seeing her user at all. Her light blue circuitry's glow increased for a few moments before she pulled away, looking sheepish. "I...I'm sorry..." She said, sincerely feeling that.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire saw the program enter the lounge and she immediately stood. To her relief, Hestia looked almost exactly like her. Her hair was more red-orange, and unlike Claire's white, the program's circuitry was a sky blue. Upon hearing her name being called out, the user was caught off-guard when Hestia nearly tackled her.

"U-umm..yes, you're right," she answered to Hestia's questions. Was this vibrant personality a result from her re-coding? When Hestia's circuitry glowed a bit more strongly for a moment, Claire looked curiously at her creation. It had to be emotionally based. When the security program spoke again, the user shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Hesty. You're okay," she managed to answer. It seemed the initial shock of seeing the program had worn off. Now what she was a good amount of pride. Sure, she wasn't sure how successful Hestia would be but...dammit, Claire couldn't help but be proud that she had even gotten this far.

Yet, at the same time, Hestia seemed to be so child-like. Was that also Claire's doing? Was it something beyond her control? The answers probably weren't forthcoming any time soon. She smiled at Hestia and took hold of her project's hand. "Would you like to go out and see the Grid?"

The look in Hestia's eyes, and the nodding and not to mention her "Yes! Please? I wanna look around!" Answer. Claire laughed at the enthusiastic trait that was growing more and more apparent as well.

"Okay then, let's roll," Claire stated, getting a confused stare in return from Hestia. "Err...I mean let's get going. ...I need to update your database with slang..."

With that, the two programs started to leave the building.





(O.O.C.: Just a note that I really don't have a plot really ready for this so feel free to jump in. )

[Wess Sadowski]

Why couldn’t things be simple?

Two entities stood on the street in front of the entrance lounge. Both wore circuitry suits, but that didn’t distinguish exactly what they were. It was a safe bet to assume that they were both users though, based on their white circuitry. One was speaking exuberantly to the other, using what the other felt was entirely way too many hand gestures. He stood stone faced as he listened with crossed arms.

“So… you want a lightcycle.” Wess said looking slightly irritated at his client.

“Yes, but not just any lightcycle! I want it to be sleek… and sexy.” The client paused for a moment, holding his chin with one hand. “I want it to be custom made to fit my personality, you know?”Wess blinked unenthusiastically. This guy was probably a spoiled son of a high roller who had everything from a Lamborghini to a private in-home theatre back at the mansion. They way he spoke had a hint of sophistication to it, as well as a dash of snobbishness. He spoke as if he was better than anyone around him, which Wess didn’t particularly care for. “I want it to look powerful yet sophisticated, aggressive yet seductive, fast yet…”

“Alright! Enough already. You want a custom lightcycle. Just… stand back and let me work already. Jesus.” Wess pushed him to the side with one hand and then began what few others on the grid could actually do. He began to build.

First he pressed hands together, palms open and fingertips pointing in different directions. Slowly he began pulling them apart. In between them a blue transparent cube began to form. As steadily as he could, he continued to pull his hands apart until the shimmering cube was nearly a foot wide, and then he stopped. The cube looked as if it wanted to fade away, but with a quick flick of both hands the cube disconnected from his palms and remained, slowly rotating. That was the task that very few could perform. The process he had just done in order to create the cube was unique to him, but the ability to create a construction entity was not. The fact that he could do it was why he was considered a builder. Altering code was one thing, building was entirely different.

The pace rapidly changed. Wess began spinning the box in different directions. As he did he grabbed at what seemed like nothing from the air around him. Each time he grabbed at the air a string of symbolic code formed in between his fingers. He then placed each piece of code into the cube, orientating it just right, flipping it, spinning it, and moving it wherever he wanted. As the code came together a larger image began to appear a few feet in front of him. Each time the cube spun, the image spun with it. For nearly a minute both the cube and image flipped and spun, the image materializing more and more with every piece of code that was stuck into the cube. From the beginning anyone could tell that it was a lightcycle, but finally the image was clear enough to actually be considered real. The black cycle was highlighted with white circuitry, giving it that ominous yet magnificent look that they were so well known for. Suddenly, with both hands, Wess crushed the cube between his hands.

The image blinked out nearly instantly. In its place a rod fell, nearly hitting the ground before Wess could step forward with one foot and catch it. Then he turned to his client and presented the rod. “There, all yours.” The client slowly reached up to the rod, accepting it as delicately as if it were the Holy Grail, whispering a thank you as he did. As the man walked away Wess shook his head and rolled his eyes. The guy though he was so lucky. It wouldn’t be long before he realized that his was exactly the same as everyone else’s. He was probably going to crash it right away anyhow, which would require Wess or some other unfortunate builder to create another one. Only special people got special requests, and that guy wasn’t one of them.

Wess turned back toward the entrance lounge, noticing two entities that looked nearly identical. One was white, most likely an iso or a user, and the other was sky blue, most definitely a program. The blue one however was dressed in armor, which made Wess raise his eyebrow. He had hardly seen two identical entities within the system, and none had been security programs. Maybe it was another Encom employee.

“Twins?” He asked them from the bottom of the stairs. His arms had crossed again and his face had gone back to the usual hardened look.



(OOC: Hope you don't mind me jumping in )

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire had stepped out with Hestia, having expected to see some extraordinary things. The Grid was a place primed for the unexpected as. She just didn't realize how quickly that unexpected factor would come. There were two men on the street right in front of the building entrance. One was doing something with his hands that seemed out of place. She wasn't sure how things looked in this world yet but he definitely was creating something. "What on earth..." she mumbled, watching whatever the guy was doing transform into a baton. She hadn't been on the Grid long enough to know what it did exactly.

The other man took the baton and left, and she saw the first turn towards them. His only statement was a question and it took her a moment to realize it was directed at them. "Twins?" She echoed, before looking at Hestia. Oh! Of course!

She then laughed. "Something like that. She's my program," Claire answered. The smile faded a little. "I noticed...that you were doing something... Some sort of coding? It looked like it but...I haven't been on the Grid enough to know for sure." She paused before walking up closer, extending her arm out to him. His demeanor wasn't the most friendly but he had been the one to speak first. "My name is Claire. What would yours be?"

She hoped she wasn't making a mistake in speaking with this stranger...

(OOC: I don't mind at all!)

[HESTIA]

Unlike Claire, the first thing Hestia noticed was how...well, big everything was. The Grid was HUGE compared to the previous system she was in. Not to mention, it looked more asthetically pleasing, something the program attributed to user design. There had to hundreds...thousands of programs thriving in this location, along with visiting users as well. If all went well, she would be getting more directions on how she was supposed to do her job. While Claire had done well with her primary purpose, nothing in her immediate coding prepared her for something so vast. No wonder there were going to be multiple security programs...

Hestia had already decided that she would protect her user from anything she possibly could. The intention was written in her code as a security program anyways. Unfortunately, identifying dangers quickly alerted her to the fact that she knew next to nothing about possible dangers amongst users. So when the other being (most likely a user with the work she saw him do) spoke directly to them, she had straightened her posture a bit more. She heard the mumble from Claire,and before Hestia thought to say anything,the program heard laughter.

Hearing her user openly claim to have created her made her feel a bit better too. If she had the ability to name it yet, it would be called pride. It was a good feeling though, and it made her completely lose any doubt that she could trust this stranger. Of course, Hestia had much to learn about trust and caution. Unlike her user, she felt none of the silent doubt that was felt by the other. "And my name is Hestia!" She happily chimed in. Her voice sounded almost the same as Claire's but the soprano's voice gave away more of the innocence that she had.

[Wess Sadowski]

In all truth, Wess was having a bad day. This was the third guy that had wanted a new lightcycle today, someone had tried accessing the coding to one of the solar sailers, causing it to nearly fall out of the sky before Wess could fix it, and to top it off, he didn't even get a chance to stop by the game grid or the End of the Line club. He was thoroughly displeased. However interacting with someone who wasn't a complete douche bad had never crossed his mind as a means to lighten his day. There was power in a smile. He looked back and forth between the two twin entities and smiled himself. It wasn't much though, a slight curve at the side of his mouth, and his furrowed eyebrows seemed to soften a bit. Still, he looked ten times less pissed off and more relaxed instead.

So this was her program, like Clu and Tron. Wess had never met Kevin Flynn, but he had seen pictures and knew well enough that Clu had been fashioned after him. As for Tron, he had met Alan Bradley and could see the similarities between the two, though he had only a few encounters with Tron so far. It only made sense that the program was fashioned after the user. That being said, she must have been a programmer.

"Call me Wess." He replied. "Nice to meet you Hestia." He said with as much niceness as he could possibly muster up, which wasn't a whole lot. Still, it was better than the usual stubbornness. Having the opportunity to talk about his work though, now that lightened his mood even more. "Pretty much. It's building code." He placed his hands together again and began forming the cube. "Everything here is code." Slowly the cube grew. "This cube allows me to create new code strings, which allows me to build shit." The cube reached its final size and then Wess let it hover. "But building code within the grid is a whole lot harder than outside. You can easily alter it if you have the right privileges, but you need more clearances and skill to be able to build." Wess grabbed a fist full of what seemed like nothing from the air and tossed it into the cube. It was a previously created string of code that he had been working on. The image of what looked like a car hung in the air a few feet in front of them for a moment, and then Wess quickly crushed the cube with his hands, this time from the sides instead of from the top and bottom. Immediately the image became solid and dropped to the ground. The Light Runner hit with a loud bang. "And then you'd be able to make stuff like this."

Wess crossed his arms again and looked back at the two. "Do you work at Encom?" He asked, addressing it to both of them really.

[HESTIA]

Hestia watched in wonder at what Wess had been doing. She hadn't seen Claire work on coding from the outside, though she knew from past experience that her user was capable of creating such things. The security monitor looked at Claire. "Is that how it looks on the other side?" She asked excitedly. If that was the case, it was quite a great ability for them.

She then heard Wess' question. She had assumed that he was asking Claire because all she knew of right now was her objectives. "Ummmm..." she began, looking from the guy before them to Claire and back to Wess as she waited to see what her user's answer would be, and what his reaction would be.

So far, she thought Wess was a pleasant guy to be around overall. He didn't openly threaten them, or did anything that would outright set off any warning bells like try to get either her or Claire's disk. So he had to be a nice guy, right? Oh, if only she realized how naive she was... No matter how Wess was, it really wasn't a healthy way in which to view others.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Like Hestia, Claire could barely take her eyes off the process that Wess went through to create the light runner. It made her wonder if she could do such a thing as well, though the programmer decided she shouldn't try just then. One big vehicle rezzing out of nowhere was enough, making another just didn't sound that bright. Of course, that was assuming she that sort of permission. The last time she was here, she had been told what she was allowed to do on the Grid, but emarrassingly she had completely forgotten what exactly had been said. Having gotten no response to her offer for a handshake to him, tthe young woman lowered her arm back to her side. It kind of made her feel silly for even trying.

She barely caught Hestia's question, and Claire looked over at her program. "No, it's definitely not that leet-looking outside," she said, feeling a bit amused by Hestia's want to question.

The college senior then looked at Wess. "I am not an employee of Encom, but I have been working on a couple of projects for them," she answered. It was her hope that Encom would be happy enough with her work to hire her into the company. She then looked with a raised eyebrow at him. "And what about you, Wess?" She would've hated to think she had already run into some hacker.

[Wess Sadowski]

Wess smirked slightly when Hestia asked if it what she had just seen was similar to how they did things on the other side. He didn't bother to answer, seeing as the question was addressed to Clarie and not himself. Her response however caught him slightly by surprise. Leet? He knew of the lingo, but he hardly ever spoke it, much less typed it. He was always too busy working on his own programs to worry about games. The extent of his own gaming had never gotten further than a game of minesweeper. He had always wanted to make the best programs ever, and that was it. He was a perfectionist, that's why.

A movement in the corner of Wess' eye caught his attention a bit. He noticed Claire lowering her hand to her side. It hadn't even dawned on him that she had wanted to shake his hand. Immediately after she asked what he was doing, he dived head on into his demonstration without hesitation. Indeed, he was ignorant, but he was hardly intentionally rude... for no reason that is. He decided best not to make himself look like a fool and mention it.

Hackers were something that Wess knew all too well of, but not within the Tron system. The Grid was still a closed system, meaning that programs could not simply be uploaded through the internet. They still needed to be manually inserted, like Hestia had been. Viruses however were a different story. Viruses didn't have to be created, they could be formed by corrupted code. Wess was familiar with a few stories of corrupted programming, the most famous being Clu. Wess knew how Sam Flynn had created him, and how he had been undone by him. That knowledge was what prevented Wess from making a program himself. He stuck to protocols and on grid functions rather than programs.

"Yeah, I was hired a few months ago." He decided to leave out the bit that he hadn't left the system since then either. "To do things like what you just seen." He nodded toward the light runner. "Judging from your work," Wess went on, looking at Hestia but talking to Claire, "you've been on the grid once or twice already. Am I right?" He looked Hestia up and down before looking back at Claire. "Where have you been so far?"

(OOC: Sorry for the wait. Went to the mountains last week and the slopes distracted me.)

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire nodded, looking at Hestia, then back to Wess. "This is Hestia's first day on the Grid, and this is my second or third time here. I haven't spent much time at all, so...pretty much the only placse I've been here are the lounge, the Bit restuarant, and...yeah, that's it," she admitted. It was a truly nice to run into an Encom Employee, especially one with such permissions, so soon. She had an appointment with Ben later on to meet with Tram, but they had a while before that. She made a note to herself on what sort of permissions she as a user had in this Grid. For now, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy herself, especially if she kept a close eye on Hestia.

The young woman then looked up, noticing that the sky was dark. Though, of course it was, they were inside a computer, right? She'd miss seeing the clear blue skies whenever she could get away from the city. Not to mention the night sky. Even the twinkling of stars and the moon were preferable compared to the complete void above them. It was only a moment or two, but sure looked back

"What sort of things do you do for fun on the Grid, Wess? Or what other hobbies do you have?" she asked, then looking a bit sheepish. "Not that your building abilities aren't interesting, they are. I was just curious about other things that go on in the Grid. With you being a programmer that's been able to come here so much more than me, it'd be great to get some direction on it."

It was true, there wasn't much she knew about the Grid. And even though Hestia had a map of the Grid in her systems most likely, she wanted his opinion on what would be good for users to do. She was interested in hearing what he thought of.

((OOC: Just going to skip Hestia this time. I don't see her having much of anything useful to add.))