How about a co-op?

[tinkerheart]

Who: Feanor and Tony
When: late Basson 5th / early 6th
Where: Quiet Carriage aka Tony's workshop or kitchen, who knows...
What: A proposition is being made.
Warnings: Probably none.


It's already late when Feanor goes to look for Tony. He has a request to make and has given the subject far more thought that it's been necessary. Mulling over it further would serve no purpose. It's unlikely he would reach a conclusion different from the one he already had. That thing that he plans to make? He would need help with it. Only not for the usual reasons. Given enough time and materials, he can make anything he wants on his own. With the help of Curufin, even more. It is not a question of talent but of trust. Oh, he trusts his son completely. The person he does not trust is himself.

"I hope I am not intruding."

Comments

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony listened intently as Feanor explained. He thought comparing all these concepts to music sounded a little dumb, but then he decided 'music' had to be the closest translation. Except then they were getting into string theory (and he definitely knew about that!).

"You're talking about the subatomic quantum realm." He took it all back. Everything. Any crack in his mind at the elves being from a world with less advanced technology or thinking calling it music was dumb, even Feanor's haughty huffs- it was all wrong. He had someone on this train with a mind brilliant enough to come up with his own string theory. If they had Banner on this train.. there would be no stopping them!

"I used that same logic when I built a time machine."

[tinkerheart]

Tony was never wrong thinking the elves come from a world with little technological progress. That's what happens when your people are locked in a state of perpetual war with their world's version of the Devil. There can't be much advancement when you loose all your brightest minds to fire, sword and torture.

His kind achieved great things, his descendants even greater but they all paled in comparison to what could have been if only they were allowed live and work in peace. If they didn't have to make each and every settlement a fortress. To use their time on creation and not on preparation for yet another attack. If only they could have sharpened their skills instead of weapons.

The Enemy made it all impossible and Fëanor will never stop hating him for it.

"You built a time machine?!"

Fëanor shakes his head in disbelief but it's not the concept he finds surprising. It's a logical consequence of the existence of time if only one just gives it enough thought. It's that maybe, just maybe, he's a tiny bit jealous. The Valar would never have let him build something like that while he still was alive and then he was stuck in the Halls for what felt like an eternity. He wonders how much his people must have done since his fall at the hands of Morgoth's fire lackeys.

"That's the story I'd like to hear someday."

[runs_on_batteries]

It was something he could sympathize with- being distracted by war. It took time away from all his other endeavors to have to prepare weapons for battle instead of self-sustaining food sources or cleaning the polluted oceans. They were all limited to a degree, but he'd been fortunate enough to have time of peace and those were where he'd done some amazing discoveries.

The time travel, however, had been war.

As he nodded, he laughed lightly, "You're always welcome to ask. It's not like it takes much to get me talking." He was aware of how he was with people! "For now, let's consider our objective here and see what we can come up with for Maedhros' hand. I'll talk to Luke and see if he'll let me examine his more closely. Keep me up to date though on what thoughts you have about tapping into that music."

and then they nerded on the utterly riddiculous complications a succesful time travel can bring

[tinkerheart]

"Careful, I might take you up on that promise," Fëanor says. It's not that they have plenty of meaningful tasks here and what little they have assigned to them, as the chores, is pretty boring in its repetitiveness.

"I will."

He did it once. There is no reason he can't recreate the process now. With the difference that he will make notes this time. Because this time it will no longer be a toy made to satisfy his selfish whim, an arrogant wish to prove not only that it can be done but that he alone can do it.
This time it's going to serve a real purpose and he actually wants to share the details with someone else. Just in case.

"And thank you." he adds after a while "For your help and for Maglor's glove. It means a lot."