An Adept and a Hermetic Walk into a Bar
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Date: 08/28/2018 |
There is nothing more quintessentially Detroit than some tiny joint on the corner with only a High Life sign and blinking light beckoning passersby to see if there is anyone inside. The interior space is compact, with barely any space to squeeze between the barstools and the tables, and is usually packed on weekends. The well kept secret of this little dive is that it's one of the best places in the Motor City for live blues music. During the week it's a laid back spot to hang out and linger over a drink, preferably a beer and a shot of whiskey. The light in the bar is dim, with bright spots here and there provided by the glow of televisions set at each upper corner that broadcast the current sporting event, especially if it features one of Detroit's home teams. The wooden bar runs the length of the left wall and behind it are an insanely large number of beer tap handles protruding upwards amidst the liquor bottles that line the back shelf. The wooden floors are polished but worn, showing grooves along the major traffic areas. Several tables have been spaced along the wall opposite the bar beneath mirrors bearing the names of popular beers. A squared off arch separates the pool tables from the main bar and a set of wooden stairs near the door leads to the second story. |
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Cast: | |
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Aster has been checking things off her to-do list, which comes in the form of a small leatherbound journal written in Mandarin and probably some form of cipher. She's already met both Emma and Wednesday since they got elected, which leaves just one member of their AWEsome leading council. She's heard much about Alexandra, and so has been working herself up to it... and then Al goes and contacts her first. Aster's venue of choice: Nancy Whiskey, out in Corktown. She's first to arrive, to create a home-turf advantage; by the time Al gets there, Aster is already seated at a corner table, that journal in front of one hand while her other works across the screen of her smartphone. While her eyes are busy, her ears remain open, waiting for a sign of someone approaching. When Alexandra arrives, her first stop is the bar. She's dressed fresh from the office. A simple black suit, skirt, a white blouse beneath. It goes well with the oak-and-silver cane she leans gently against she walks. The bartender seems to know her by sight. The exchange a few words- just close enough to be informal. A drink is produced. A martini, served in a low-ball glass. Al sips it gently as her attention turns back out to the bar. Well. At least her meeting is easy to spot. Al heads to the back table. Her left leg limps a little, but she easily makes up for it with her cane. Despite the accessory, she's young. A smile on. Hair pulled back into a messy bun lanced through with a pencil. "Hello. Aster?" she greets, as she lowers herself carefully into a chair, "Alexandra Van Der Rohe. It's a pleasure." Ah yes, clothing. Aster wears a long coat, open in the front over a set of plain blue jeans and a black t-shirt bearing two cartoon mushrooms: one red with white spots and one green with white spots, with the caption 'GROW UP AND GET A LIFE'. Aster looks up as someone enters the doorway, and this particular person certainly matches descriptions of Alexandra. So she scribbles one more note and closes the journal, but keeps it on the table even as she slips her smartphone into a pocket. Under the table, she extends a leg, using her foot to push a chair out. "Aster Risk, yes. Nice to meet you at last. Congratulations on the election. I do have some questions for you, but you called me first, so you must have things you want to say or ask first?" Al slides her cane along the floor, leaning it against the edge of the table and the line between two floorboards. She sits up straight, legs crossing beneath the table. Setting her drink down. "Well, thank you," she sounds quite pleased with that, "Actually, though, I was just told that you wanted to speak with me and potentially offer some assistance with our local search." When Al speaks, it's with just the slightest hint of a lisp. Her accent is Northeastern, and inescapably upper-crust. Something about how she sets her jaw and the clip at which she speaks. "I've heard a few things about you. I'm afraid I don't know..." she looks over Aster as she searches for the next word. "Much at all." Aster's eyebrows lift, surprised. "Oh! So, just some proactivity with getting me hooked into your current projects." She nods, sitting up straighter as she takes a small sip of her whiskey. Because as far as she's concerned, it's a waste to come to a whiskey bar and get something else. As Alexandra looks her over, Aster sits up, but bites back some manner of cheeky comment. Instead, she says: "The most important thing you need to know is that, if you need computer work done, I'm your girl. That's one of the things i need to catch up about with you and the other members of AWEsome. The forum you guys want developed? The more information you can all give me about requirements, the better. And the other thing..." Her voice lowers here. "Ahana, and the investigation thereof. I've heard you and Rei are the people to talk to about helping with that." Al's lips quirk up at the wordplay. She takes another drink, sipping slowly. The martini she's order smells mostly like gin- dry. "Well, I don't know about Rei. She is. Um," Al pauses, searching for a word that isn't insulting, "Unsubtle. I'm handling it and, while I'd welcome the help, I'm not quite sure our... Styles would mix?" she offers it that way, "But a web forum would be of tremendous help. My main requirement there is security. There's been activity in the area of late. And that's something that we should be making a primary concern. Especially in an online setting." Aster's nose wrinkles. "The combination of various 'styles' can lead to complementary benefits, each of us contributing to the investigation in our own way. That's why there are nine traditions and not, you know, one. If everyone plays the tank, then where are your DPS and healers?" That's probably lost her. She shakes her head. "If you're sure you can handle it on your own, well... alright." She nods. "Security and encryption are fundamental. As well as the servers' own security, membership will be invite-only -- so once someone has vetted a new member, they can get on and start connecting, but they can't get in before." She grins. "And not to toot my own horn... but while the Union may /think/ technology is their playground, cyberspace is where I /live/." Lost on Al? The references to 'tanks' and 'DPS' makes her react like Aster suddenly, without explanation, shifted into Chinese. Her head tilts to a side, lips opening. Like she's about to speak, but there aren't any words to say. Instead, she goes back for another drink. Much better. "Well, I'm glad you're confident in your abilities. I wish I could offer my help in return, but... You're already over my head. I'm a city employee. We're pretty helpless when it comes to that," she attempts a joke. "How long have you been in Detroit?" To be fair, Aster totally /could/ have swapped into Chinese. She knows one of the languages. She grins at the look on Al's face; there's nothing like total befuddlement to show that, yes, you know the work someone else is giving you. "I'll handle the code. But if you guys have any requirements for how you want it to look and work, other than 'high-spec security', let me know so I can build it to those specifications. I've been in Detroit... oh, about a year now, give or take. A lot of that I've spent under the radar." "Oh? That's some time," Al nods, shifting a little in her chair. She retains her upright, straight backed posture, though. "Well, thank you for the offer of assistance. I only wish every were so eager to volunteer in order to make this whole thing work. It's appreciated, really." Aster grins, tapping her journal. "I've been cooped up and playing it safe for long enough. It's time I got started putting my skills to the test, setting myself against quests. That's the only way to move myself forward, you know? So if there's anything else where you need an Adept's pair of eyes on things, just let me know." "Um," Al replies. She is fairly certain she followed that. But, despite her youth, it's obvious she has a different set of hobbies. "Well. We're, um, glad to have you on board. So, I suppose... Is there anything you'd like to know?" Another drink. Taking her time with it, enjoying the taste. Aster considers the question. After a bit of tap-tap-tapping in thought, she opens up her journal and skims her notes -- which, yes, are all written in Chinese. "You're handling the Ahana investigation on your own; you've just said to emphasise security for Grimoire... ah, the last thing isn't what /I/ would ask /you/, but vice versa. The question of Amane. I'm confident she's on the level, not suborned by the Union or the Fallen." "Well, thank you. I'll take your note of confidence under advisement whenever it is I manage to find the time to track her down. Unfortunately, the list of business to attend to is rather lengthy at the moment. Maybe you've heard of some of the movement around town?" Al lifts her glass with a wry sort of smile. One that suggests there's some sort of joke in her understatement. "'Rather lengthy at the moment', title of your sex tape--" The next split-second, Aster realises what she's said. She coughs and moves on, as if pretending she hadn't said a word. "I've heard of some things, yeah. The Union's movement against Ahana, and some... last-I-heard-unknown /thing/ around a 'Transcendence' sculpture, a solar-flare kind of thing sucking life from Maya and the area." "All items on the agenda," Al doesn't say anything about the joke. She doesn't even to seem to acknowledge it happened. "We're beginning to unravel these things, however. We're..." she inhales, forcing a smile, "Making progress." Aster nods firmly. "And I'd appreciate being kept up to date on those things, in case there's anything I can do to help pick apart the mysteries. We are what we are /because/ we look beyond the surface of things and find the truth beneath, and that's a habit to keep sharp." "I'll see what I can do," Al tips back the last of her drink, eyes closing softly as she does. God, that's good. Her legs uncross, hand moving toward her cane. "But if there's nothing else? I have a long commute to get to. My apartment is currently... Uninhabitable," she rolls her eyes. "Old plumbing." Aster manages to avoid making another joke out of 'old plumbing', instead giving Alexandra a nod. "Nothing else right now. Have a good night, Alexandra, and I'll be in touch when Grimoire is ready for user testing." | |
