Rei Meets Wednesday
{{ | date=06/02/2018 | time=08:00 EST | summary=Wednesday meets Rei with Alma | cast=
| place_name=Second Stories roof | log=A couple of days after they first met, Alma sends Rei a text in the early AM. "This is Alma, Kai's friend. Want to meet for breakfast? I have some fruit and stuff. I'm on the roof of Second Stories right now. (a google maps url)"
A reply comes back from Rei not long after that she doesn't need breakfast but is willing to meet. And soon enough, in an amount of time comensurate with heading across town on a motorcycle she appears at the specified rooftop location. She glances around at first perhaps curious about a new place, perhaps looking for cameras and snipers, it's hard to say. But she soon finds Alma.
There isn't a lot of traffic out here. At the sound of a motorbike, Alma steps away from her camera and peeks down from the roof of Second Stories to see Rei. From up high, Alma says "Hey! Rei! want me to come down or you want to come up?"
Rei looks up seeing Alma. She shakes her head, "I can come to you." her vocal tone is the same as it was at your last meeting, not completely monotone but still a bit flat. And with that she searches for a way up to the buildings roof taking the easiest method that presents itself.
Alma watches Rei come up from the fire escape. "Hi, I'm wrapping up here. Want to see a nest?" She is standing next to a camera mounted on a tripod. There is a small chair next to it. there's also a canvas spread out like a picnic blanket with a duffle on it and some fruit and bread.
Rei makes her way up the fire escape with relative ease, she seems to be in quite good shape. Though there are a few odd groans from the metal here and there, which really someone Rei's size probably shouldn't be eliciting. But maybe it's just old and in bad repair. "A nest?" she asks curiously, looking around.
"Yeah," Alma says. "I have a grant to study the corvid population of Detroit. I'm on leave from the University of Aukland." She motions Rei over. "I've got listening stations set up around the city so that we can make a census based on audio analysis along with more traditional methods." She starts to nerd monolog at Rei a bit, and explains that what she'd really like to know is how crow behavior will change in a city undergoing the population shifts that Detroit is. "I'm wrapping up work on social behavior in New Caledonian Crows and things are different on islands--I moved here due to family. uh... and" air quote "woke up" air quote, "last year." As an afterthought she adds, "Do you think Detroit is like an island? I hear it's very different from other places."
Rei seems to be following around with everything Emma says, her reactions are never terribly emotional so there is no discernable shift really where she might seem bored. In fact something seems to pique her interest, "Interesting, how do you monitor these listening posts?"
Alma texts Wednesday: "Would you like to meet Rei?"'
Wednesday to Alma: I'd like to meet everyone. Where should I head to?
Alma to Wednesday: Milwaukee Jct, Second Stories Detroit. We're on top of the building. Come up the fireescape
Wednesday to Alma: I think I'm pretty close, be there soon.
Alma is really in to this because her colleague J0 has set up things for her. She explains how she really really beleives in open knowledge and was all set to have everything on their openscienceframework page but then she heard about how the cops in Chicago were doing illegal surveillance and the more she thought about it the more she decided they should embargo the data unless they got a researcher to sign a pledge to use the data ethically. "So J0 did some sort of protocol thing? But if you are itnerested in our current work you can see the results of the analysis"
There's a rattle of metal and a couple of grunts from the side of the building, at the bottom of the fire escape. Steps follow as someone climbs to the roof.
Rei stands on the roof of the building with Alma chatting about listening posts and looking at a crow nest.
"Here's Wednesday," Alma says to Rei. "I texted him so you could meet. Have you gone by the meeting place? I could go with you if you haven't. I have yet to go, myself"
The rattling of the fire escape stairs grows until a large, wide-brimmed hat hovers over the edge of the building, followed by it's wearer - in a matching long gray greatcoat, opened in the front just enough to showa black Alchemist tour t-shirt. Wednesday sights Alma, his one good eye narrowing with a grin, before he turns his head to regard Rei. With his usual eloquence and grace, he waves to both of them. "Hey."
Rei turns to give Alma a simple nod of her head, "Yes, I met Dr. Hackenmiller-Simons there. He was an interesting individual, if a bit lax in security precautions." Wednesday's arrival draws her attention, "Hello." she offers, her tone a bit emotionally muted, "Are you okay? Your eye seems to be damaged." she asks tilting her head slightly.
Alma replies the meeting place, "I think it's supposed to be a public place. I'm not sure how much security it needs, but they should definitely give people guidelines on how to treat others with respect. I understand that discussions can get very heated."
Wednesday seems to consider Rei's question for a moment, as he approaches where they are on the roof. "Well, that eye is gone, but I think I made a pretty good trade for it, all things considered." He nods to Rei, offering an arm in greeting. "Call me Wednesday." With a glance over to Alma, "I've seen some rudeness there, too, but I think it's because people don't feel comfortable there, yet."
"You traded your eye?" Rei seems quite curious about this, "What did you acquire in exchange and why did you not replace it with another?" She doesn't seem grossed out or weirded out by plucking out ones own eye and exchanging it, rather almost more interested in the mercantile and practical aspects of the transaction, "Conflict is often brought about by an excess of emotion clouding logic and obscuring fact." appears to be Rei's insight into whatever rudeness is occuring, probably not something she suffers from. She doesn't seem completely unemotional just somewhat muted and very logical.
"Lack of emotional regulation and poor impulse control are two huge drivers of conflict. One of the main one's I hate is overconfidence that when you match up with the human tendencies towards self serving biases means you get people who think they are being logical and objective. I think if you give people lists of common dysfunctional modes of thinking maybe it could help?" She has a frown of concentration as she ponders this. "I like the cognitive behavioral therapy appraoch to things. I'ts very pragmatic." It has not occured to Alma that Wednesday could replace his eye, "Wednesday, My dad is an ophthalmologist. I could ask him about prosthetics? I guess you've probably talked to doctors? I hadn't even though to mention anything."
Wednesday's grin deepens for a moment, and he fails to suppress a chuckle. Let's not kid, he wasn't trying that hard. "It was a sacrifice for wisdom and power, so thanks, Alma, but I can make up for the loss in other ways, now." He rattles a lower pocket, causing a muffled *clink* of tiny glass bottles. "I think just a reminder that the meeting place itself is an effort put forth by Dr. H-S, and anyone who stops by is putting in an effort to build community, too. Of course, bringing laminated lists of dysfuntional modes of thinking might help even more - or it could be seen as an insult." He shrugs. "But it's an effort, so."
"Wisdom and Power? And the gain was sufficient to offset the lost of visual capability? Perhaps I should consider such an exchange. With whom did you make this barter agreement?" Rei almost sounds serious as she considers this, fascinated. "Humans are prone to conflict, it defines human history more than anything else, I am not sure there is any way to permanently extinguish it while preserving free will."
Alma says, "I don't think so either, but I do think people can co-exist in peaceful disagreement. We have guides."
"Well, I traded with myself, in a way." Wednesday winks (or blinks?) at Rei. "Yeah, let's keep free will around for a bit. It's all -sorts- of fun, really, even if it does allow for the occaisional spat."
"With yourself? So then you should still have your eye if you gave it to yourself? Also how did you manage to produce wisdom and power to grant yourself?" Rei seems to perhaps be having trouble following Wednesday, likely unfamiliar with Norse mystical traditions. "I think for the time being the most important thing is perhaps gathering people together, we can convince them to cooperate with one another once that is accomplished."
Alma starts to pack up her gear, "I need to get to the rest of my rounds. I really like what you said about getting people together, Rei. I'll try and help. Collaboration is important. People do better work when they collaborate." She walks off towards the fire escape. }}
