Why Do We Even Have That Knob?

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim shouldered against the door and pushed as hard as he could. He could hear it creaking, but it at least gave way enough for him to shove his chair into the path. Then he could push the rest of him inside the room. It took a lot of effort, moving around with the chair and all. You really didn't notice how difficult it was to get around until you were stuck in one. It had taken Tim twice as long to get here as it would have if he'd been walking.

But he was here now. Tim stretched up and flicked the lights, looking around the radio station. It hadn't really been abandoned so much as neglected lately, considering that the main driving force behind it had sort of left a while ago. Which left a lot of equipment laying around.

Tim wheeled into the room, looking around. He paused to lift his glasses up. "Where to begin," he said aloud. Finally he started wheeling toward one of the consoles, pulling back the leather. "Now, how can I find out if this stuff works?" he mumbled, before reaching over and flicking a switch. Lights flickered to life across the console, and soon they reflected in Tim's smile. "Now we're getting somewhere. So, let's just see if we adjust..."

And Tim reached for a knob, but as he turned it, a high-pitched squeal sounded throughout the station. "Aaaah!" Tim yelled, slamming his hands to his ears and jerking back. He felt himself falling for a moment, and didn't manage to steady himself in time. Soon he was spread across the floor, all while the noise kept going. "Awesome," he yelled, before crawling toward his chair. "Just a great start, right here. Why do they even have a knob that does this?"

[Felix Nicholas]

More his home then his room had ever been, Felix had long practically taken up residence in the Academy's radio station. With passion and creative flair he designed the shows, worked the equipment, staying up all hours in the office tweaking and adjusting and making sure the entire operation ran like clockwork. He even had his headphones tuned into the radio's frequency, so even while away from his creation he was near enough constantly tuned in.
Then he left.
Although a number of far more prominent issues were at the forefront of his mind during his leave, his beloved radio station was still a thought that battled through and he mused on with great sadness. Returning to the Academy also meant returning to what could perhaps be deemed his true home away from home, and that fact filled the young man with a much needed elevation in positivity.
Felix had heard that it had simply grown dormant in his absence, with few choosing to take on the task of sorting out his filing system and attempting to work out the various modifications he'd performed on the equipment; So of course, he assumed it would still be in it's quiet and resting state, awaiting it's caretaker, as he approached the office. He however found himself pausing, raising a brow at the propped open door. Clearly someone had beaten him to it, and had chosen to venture within what had been Felix's sanctum. Before he could find who the intruder was, a loud high pitched screech of sound erupted from the room and out into the hallway, causing Felix to flinch violently and grit his teeth, putting his hands over his ears.

He knew that sound.

With a grin, he pushed his way forward towards the door's opening. "Hey, need a little help there?!" He called out over the near head splitting pitch, looking down at the intruder sprawled on the floor. Turning his focus to the equipment assaulting their ears, Felix spread one palm towards the digital machinery, sensing each wave of sound as it hit him, gesturing with his hand as he manipulated them, pushing them back and spreading out the sound waves causing the screech to dull to a low whir. "THAT'S better." He grinned widely with a chuckle, keeping his palm outstretched and the sound steady as he stepped over the chair, walking up to the console and turning the sound off completely with the flick of a switch. He breathed out and put his hands on his hips as the ringing in his ears ceased, before smiling over at the man. "Sorry, that was something I moded so I could manipulate pitch without having to keep turning dials," He bent down slightly, offering him his hand. "I'm Felix."

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim heard the voice and waved an arm. He still had to focus most of his attention on getting back in the nearby wheelchair, but at least he could wave in greeting and point. Not like talking would be all that doable, even if Tim did just barely manage to hear the other guy over the whining noise. Said guy seemed to know exactly what was going on, which meant that he could only really be one person.

"It's cool," Tim grunted as he gripped his wheelchair and pulled himself up into it. It took far more energy than he would have liked: not having use of your legs definitely sucked. He manged to get there just in time for the hand extension.

"Tim," he said, taking it and shaking it. He nodded. "So... Felix as in Felix Nicholas, the guy who actually ran this thing? And the same guy who somehow got stuck between both Bellefonte twins?" which was both the most inevitable and most dreaded position a person could have at this school, to be sure.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix blinked at the young man, mentally scolding himself for a moment; he'd held out his hand initially in order to help the intruder into what had once been his sanctum to his feet, only to of course come to the realisation that the chair, which he hadn't initially taken in as a wheelchair due to the need to dull that screeching pitch with some haste, was a wheelchair, had not been there to initially prop open the heavy door, which was heavy since the entire office generally doubled as a sound booth; but was, in fact, his aid. Certainly the radio host, well ex soon to be reinstated radio host, felt awkward, a fleeting prickling heat down the back of his neck scolding his idioticy. He of course quickly pretended his hand had been extended in a handshake gesture the entire time.

He shook his hand with enthusasium, a bright grin on his face which faltered at Tim's immediate comment regarding the Bellefontes. With an embarrassed chuckle, Felix ran a hand through his hair and pouted slightly. "... Not exactly," He replied, not quite wanting to openly discuss his private matters with a student he'd just happened apon. Clearly the entire incident between him, Erika and Elsa was still very much a talking point of the Academy... It hadn't taken that vile blog long to document his return and immediately try to push unnecessary drama onto him and the Bellefontes, which was the last thing any of them needed; Likely, this guy had read the posts. Dirty Laundry may use false names, but it clear who she or he was talking about. He'd best try to change the subject. "But yes, you've got the right guy. I understand my beloved station has gone unused in my absense?" He grinned, turning his attention back to the console. His modified, beautiful creation, covered in a thin layer of dust. DUST. But what did he expect? He didn't exactly leave a manual for the next occupant.
"... What brings you to my... Well, it was my humble abode," He spoke looking over his shoulder to smile brightly at the young man, before taking a moment to establish the whereabouts of his old chair, removing it from the corner it had been shoved into and sitting on it with an exasperated sigh, leaning back as he crossed one leg over the other and interlocking his fingers behind his head. He was home.

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim raised a brow. Yeah, the not exactly was kind of the general reaction to DL, though Felix seemed more embarrassed about it than anything. Tim had made it his business to keep track of the blog back in the day, though now he liked to pretend that he was well past that point. Still, he could definitely recall Felix getting caught up in the Bellefonte mess.

"Yeah," he said, looking around, "it pretty much has. That's why I barged on in here. I was gonna see if this could be used or if I could take some of it for..." he paused, looking over at Felix for a moment, "for scrap."

Tim knew all too well the pain of finding someone else in your tech-abode: it happened to him all too often. But hey, it wasn't like Tim had an armful (or lapful) of equipment and was attempting to make off with it. No, he'd just been minding his business. Felix looked comfortable enough, even slouching down.

"Always feels right being near the tech, right?" Tim said, looking around. "Don't get me wrong: people are awesome too. I wouldn't trade spending time with my girlfriend even for this cool stuff," he tapped one of the consoles before wheeling and looking, "but there's just something really cool about being around this stuff and knowing how to work it."

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix kept an interested gaze upon the young man, curious as to what would bring him to his disused and sadly neglected radio station. Was he perhaps interested in getting the place up and running again? The thought warmed his- And his grin became a slight pout as the boy gave his answer, Felix tilted his head slightly to one side and cocked an eyebrow. "... You were going to raid my beloved radio station for scrap?" He commented, before waving a hand at him with a renewed grin. "Hey, I don't blame you. No one knew if I was coming back here... Heck, I didn't even know if I was coming back when I initially left."
The thought of someone raking through the equipment he'd so lovingly put together and modified for use as scrap wasn't exactly a pleasant one, but he honestly couldn't blame the guy. It had been some time after all, and Felix would rather if he hadn't returned that his equipment got at least SOME use... But, he had chosen to come back, and he had every intention of returning the Academy's radio to it's former glory.

Felix drifted his gaze back to the console, pushing with his feet to send his chair wheeling over towards it with little effort. "... I missed it, I have to say. I modified all of it myself, so I could mix music using, well," He held his hands up and flexed them with a grin. "You saw. Music and sound is kind of my speciality." He drifted a hand over the console, running a finger amongst the dials and knob, leaving a trail in the dust. He paused a moment, looking back at the man, as he took into further consideration what the young man had just said. "... You're into tech?" He grinned brightly. Felix had always a natural delight at finding a fellow human being who took as much joy from technology as he did. "What's your field?"

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim winced a little. "Yeah, well, or see if we could do something with it. Frank Cox kinda threatened to take over for a bit, and we definitely didn't want that," Tim wheeled around some more, checking out some of the tech. Just thinking about Frank being in here nearly gave him the shivers. He managed to suppress them though, instead helping Felix dust off some of the equipment and stuff. He heard the wheeling chair and turned to watch the other guy wheeling around.

"I heard about that. Well, and literally heard it," Tim chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "Cool how you let some local talent play. We got a lot of it," Tim had seen a few of them himself. Not really into some of them, but there was a pretty cool chick punk band that had been playing for a bit. He looked around again, before bobbing in response.

"I do vids, mostly," he wheeled over to study some more equipment. "I've been working on getting some mutant rights stuff up. Major project right now is doing a series of interviews," he looked over his shoulder at Felix. "I'm hoping to get a bunch of us to talk about manifesting and stuff. You know, get that up on YouTube, let people see the whole human thing. I also support some local stuff too," Tim nodded, then turned. "Hey, we should definitely work together. I can get you set up with some people too. I got a bud who's a technomancer. Does all kinds of cool stuff, and we recently got some okay from, uh, interested sponsors," mostly rich people that Felix probably ran into at some point, but Tim definitely wasn't going to be naming names. Mostly because he still liked his kneecaps, even if he couldn't feel them.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix flinched slightly at Tim's mention of a certain student who no doubt would have caused upmost destruction to his beloved radio station. He grinned though, chuckling lightly as he lent back again in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. Frank Cox, the girl who once kidnapped him in bright pink camo. Felix had considered her a friend, and still did; How else do you respond to a such an incident without making the assailant a comrade? The idea of her taking over the radio station however was a terrifying one, and he was glad he managed to return before such an event occurred.

He blinked at Tim as the boy mentioned Felix letting some local talent play, and he nodded with a smile. "To be honest, it's one of my passions with this whole project... Helping others use it as a base to climb from, to help get their name out there," He ran a hand through his hair, still smiling, looking over the main console, a flutter of pride in his heart. "I know it's only a little school station, but it means a lot to me... I guess it meant more to the whole Academy then I realised."
He fell silent, looking back over to Tim as he began to speak of his own works with tech, Felix tilting his head slightly to one side as he listened, quirking a brow. He was clearly passionate about what he did, a trait which sparked Felix's interest. He'd always been interested in having other creative people involved with the radio station, and the kid was focused on a subject that was pretty personal to all of them. "I'd love that," He grinned, the excitement evident in his voice. "I need to get this place up and running again, and having a few fresh creative minds working together would help get rid of the cobwebs. Count me in." He folded his arms. "I'm also up for helping out with your mutant rights project too... Who's backing it?" He was merely curious, and interested in how far developed the project was. He was always interested in being a part of creative outlets, especially when it was for a good cause.

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I can get behind that," he said, looking around. He could definitely get behind it: though his blogging had started mostly as a way to get attention to himself, now he definitely used it to help others. He so blamed Lux for that: if he hadn't wound up with her, he'd probably still be making an utter ass of himself for attention. Not that he still didn't do that: he just had slightly better reasons for doing so now.

Tim looked around as Felix continued, nodding. Yeah, the place did bring something, and reviving any creative projects right now would be a step in the right direction, especially something like this. Tim's looking brought him back to Felix, and he noticed the other guy's brow.

"Hey, anything I can do," Tim said, puffing slightly. "I did kinda build a web presence and all. Making major videos and stuff like that. The ah, mutant rights thing is mostly on interviews right now: I'm planning on getting a bunch of different people's to interview about the whole coming out as a mutant process, how that's like and all. Get a bunch of people from a bunch of different walks of life and all." Tim paused, then chuckled, shaking his head. He wasn't sure if Felix would know the person, but:

"Trevor Paige has donated a lot, believe it or not. I think I'm his whitewashing guilty project or something. The school's given a bit, and I've gotten some donations from some anonymous sources," Tim nodded. "At least enough to help advertising some stuff around here, and to maybe get some actual attention to the vlogs."

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix nodded to the kid's words, noting the clear passion in which he spoke. The issues Tim was focusing was something that affected all of them, granted it effected some more then most. After the chaos the reveal fo their kind had brought upon the world, mutants had endured a significant amount of bad press. Humans naturally feared what they did not understand, feared the different, the unusual. It was a trait showcased throughout history, and although Tim's project wouldn't change the views of the majority of the world, if it changed the view of the few, that would be more then enough. A step in the right direction. Felix was gathering quite a lot of respect for the kid in their short chat, a grin on his face as he decided he was going to pledge his services and platform wholely to the cause.

That was a least until Tim mentioned a certain student at the school that caused Felix's smile to falter slightly. He furrowed his brow; Felix was long over any animosity towards Trevor Paige in regards to what happened between them and Erika, but that didn't mean he trusted the guy. He knew enough about him and some of his shady work to know he wasn't a man to be trifled with, and getting involved with him in any form was likely going to end up burning you at some point along the line. But Tim seemed quite happy with the sponsorship, and Felix was in no position to judge Trevor with no further evidence, especially as he was likely aiding the project purely out of good intentions.

"My services and skills are at your disposal," Felix smiled brightly. "I can always contact my Father and see if he's willing to put in. He kind of has to showcase pro mutant views due to me being his son." He chuckled a little light heartedly, before it settled on him that Tim might not know anything about his family. He'd best explain. "The Nicholas hotel chain is my family's business. So there's a chance if the old man is feeling generous that I could get you a decent cash injection for your project."

[Tim Tawfeek]

The mention of a father had Tim turning and quirking a brow. He opened his mouth to ask the question, figuring that he'd somehow missed that Felix was among the moneyed elite that should be ruling the school or whatever. Felix beat him to the question: offering up an explanation that had Tim closing his mouth.

"Yeah, pro-mutant is definitely the way to go," he said, nodding. He adjusted his glasses, looking at the console and considering for a few moments. "We could definitely use some more money, though if I get too much, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I'm not hugely comfortable working with Paige, but he does seem to be cool with the project." Tim paused and looked around for a moment.

"They got the stuff in here to record?" he asked, raising a hand and pointing. "Not to change the subject or anything. I'm just thinking that we could definitely do something if we could get some recordings out." Tim was betting they could at least manage something with all this. He wheeled over, looking at some of the stuff, trying to remember what he'd covered and wishing that Karl was around to ask.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix didn't exactly dance around his status like some of the other students did, and perhaps in some ways the only way to tell that he came from a privileged background was the sheer amount of money he'd put into the Academy's radio. He never thought it a particularly important factor about himself, so rarely brought it up unless it was of some use.
Felix, who had turned his attentions back to cleaning the dust from around the console's various buttons and switches, paused in his actions, glancing back over to Tim with a slightly concerned expression; He didn't feel comfortable working with Trevor Paige? Felix didn't need to ask to find out why. Tim had likely gotten wind of exactly what kind of underhanded man he could be.

Felix quickly shifted into a warm smile, leaning back in his chair again with a polite shrug. "I don't blame you for being a little on the weary side about Trevor," He commented, quickly raising his hands up defensively with a sheepish smile. "And before you think it, I don't know how much you know about me and... Erika Bellefonte, but this isn't about what happened half a year ago. I know what kind of man Trevor has been in the past in regards to his... Outside school activities. If you feel uncomfortable having him be your sponsor, the option is always there to take me instead." He gave a nod, before waving a hand at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come on quite so heavy, but if you ever feel you need someone else, I'm your man."

Perhaps it was time to change the subject; He didn't want to come across as though he was bitter towards Trevor Paige, when that was far from the case. He was just weary about the man's darker actions potentially having a damaging effect on the Academy. He followed Tim's gaze, using his feet on the floor to turn his swivel chair to face the same direction his companion was looking in, interlocking his fingers on his lap with a cheery grin. "I have recording equipment, a small amount of video equipment, sound booms... I even have a DJ deck. In fact, this entire station is built to be a music mixer too. It can create as well as simply broadcast." The pride was seeping into his voice despite himself; It had been so long since he'd been able to have this kind of conversation about his work, so he was perhaps becoming a little too enthusiastic.

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim nodded. Despite what he'd gone through with Trevor, he still couldn't help but feel a little leery around the guy. That whole mafia thing just didn't fade. Blame it on their initial meeting: Tim most certainly did. However, what was slightly more interesting was Felix's reaction. The guy didn't seem to have quite as much venom as Tim would have in his position. Clearly one of them was the bigger man.

Tim nodded though, willing to accept that right along with Felix's help. "Man, I get a girlfriend and a halfway successful web show and suddenly all you rich white folks are paying attention to me. I didn't even have to get the wheelchair," Tim gave Felix a wink before moving back to look at the equipment. Felix seemed to appreciate the change too.

"Sounds like we can definitely work something there. I don't have decent recording equipment, and I'd love to get some better tracks for some of my shows. Plus, you've probably got some ins with the local talent. I honestly don't have a clue who to contact if I want backing music," Tim shrugged. That wasn't strictly true: he'd heard bits and pieces and all. Still, he figured he could definitely use some help. "I've got friends that can help rig something too. You know. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Quid pro quo and all that." Tim waved a hand, before reaching out to the panels. He paused though, remembering what happened last time he went around touching.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix wasn't the kind of man to hold a grudge, and although what he'd been through in regards to Trevor Paige hadn't been exactly the best part of his life, he held firmly to the belief that holding onto poison like that did nothing but harm himself. He was over what happened; He didn't have any blame left for Trevor or for Erika.They'd moved on, he'd moved on. Healing had been a long and tiring process, but it had been worth it. He was healthy.

Felix chuckled at the guy's comment, waving a hand at him. "Technically it's my Father that's rich," He replied with a grin. "But in all honesty, he's a decent guy behind the whole "The business is everything" kind of mindset. He's all for charity projects, and this falls under that category." He returned the wink, sensing that Tim had taken in what he'd offered him. He didn't need to confirm it; It was out there now, and if at any point the guy needed to turn to Felix in order to break sponsorship with Trevor, Felix was happy to take that on. He'd even tell the man himself; Mafia connections or not, Felix wasn't afraid of him.

He did appreciate the change in conversation however, nodding as he pushed the chair with his feet in order to make the swivel chair spin round slowly. "I know a few people I can get in here for you," He grinned, stopping the chair with his feet. "Riggers?" He breathed out, whistling a little. "That would be pretty fantastic... If you're all for this, then I am. We should organise to have a meeting to try and get this moving... Sort out our priorities."
He watched as Tim went to touch the console again, flinching forward as he'd intended to stop the guy, smiling sheepishly as he ran a hand through his hair. "Hold on a moment... It's still in it's "me" settings basically, for the lack of a better word. Give me a moment." He pushed his chair closer to the main monitor, botting it up with a few pressed buttons and flicked switches, the screen flaring into life. He worked quickly, and in a few clicks the console's lights went out with a low whir, only to ignite again a moment later. "There you go. Back to it's base settings." He flicked a hand at the console, grinning at Tim. "Go on, give it a try!"

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim let out a laugh as Felix insisted that it was his father who was rich. "Yeah, I'm sure that you didn't benefit from that at all." He drawled. But he didn't have any real venom to it: Felix was a pretty cool guy, and Tim didn't see any reason to keep rubbing the whole rich kid thing into it. Though he did wonder again at hearing that another rich guy wanted to fund something.

"Hopefully we can get the thing crowdfunded or something. I'd go through something like Patreon if it wasn't for the whole keeping mutants a secret thing. Really ruins the business," he laughed again at that, before focusing back on the tech. It wasn't as if some of Tim's vids didn't leak anyway, despite the encryption. Tim might have actually purposefully gotten a few to leak. Maybe.

Tim was soon nodding. He definitely had people he could work with. He should definitely at least point Karl in this direction, though Tim's friend would probably resent being pulled from his own projects (again). Tim hesitated while Felix fiddled with the controls, then reached and played with a few things.

"I take it you didn't run the whole thing by yourself? There's a few others on the roster," Tim paused, tweaking a few knobs, watching the readouts and feedback. "Probably Frank Cox: that girl signed up for everything." Tim twisted another knob, nodding. "This is some cool tech. I almost feel bad about wanting to scavenge some." Another whine shot out, but this time Tim knew how he'd caused it and so could fix it quick enough.

"Almost."