if_inconvenient | (no subject)

"Are you going to design an ornithopter?"

A what? Cal pauses.

"Three of them," he says with assurance.

"I commend your ability to sound as though you know what you're talking about. A device that flies by the use of automated flapping wings," he explains. "As opposed to a fixed-wing craft such as those that actually exist."

"I always know what I'm talking about."

Except for when he doesn't.

"We'll have to get Tony in on that."

"No doubt he will be thrilled to indulge our whimsy."

"Who wouldn't want to design wings for pigs?" Cal asks, managing to sound entirely reasonable despite his grin.

"It all depends on how the matter is presented. Tell him it's impossible and you'll have your flying pigs in a week."

Cal laughs.

"Maybe I'll go over tomorrow and do that."

"Do let me know how it goes."

"I'll report in right away," Cal promises.

"You can call me through Jarvis."

"I'll tell him you said that."

Jarvis, that is. Not Tony.

"How do you think I managed to call you from a New York hotel and yet appear to be speaking from home?"

There is a longish pause.

"I hadn't really thought about that," Cal admits. "I keep forgetting you don't actually have a cellphone."

"I will probably get around to obtaining one someday."

"They are pretty convenient," Cal says. "For everyone."

What if he wants to call Sherlock while Sherlock is nowhere near a phone? What happens then?

Then Sherlock probably does not want to be called.

"I make no promises about how often I would carry it."

What, it's all about Sherlock now?

"I think that would be kinda missing the point."

"It is a matter of priorities. I would not like to be interrupted by a phone call while breaking into your house, for example."

"There's this cool new thing now where you can put your phone on silent," Cal says. Helpfully.

"An egregious misnomer. They are still audible from twenty feet away."

"I said silent," Cal says, "not vibrate."

He will concede that vibrating phones are still loud.

"At which point I may as well leave it at home."

"Not if you're only turning it off for a little while," Cal says, with great patience.

"With conversations like this to look forward to, I am beginning to wonder why I would ever turn it back on," he teases.