11:16 <tom> The hanging screen around the workstation stays up through the night, containing the occasional wild spray of sparks as the grinder chews into a fresh pocket of residue welded to the Mjolnir's barrel. 11:17 <tom> He'll apologize to Haldane later. He needs to get this thing back up to spec before it can go back to the armory without raising a lot of really tough questions for Rolf. 11:19 <tom> There's time to check the bank of cameras while he queues up the next track on his headphones. 11:20 <Quaker> Badawi comes in pushing a black metal A/V dolly. On top is a massive CRT television, sitting on a VHS player. On the second little shelf are a few tapes and a huge amount of indian food in takeout boxes. 11:21 <Quaker> “Hello?” 11:23 <tom> He buzzes her in, nests the headphones around his neck- there's something synthy and busy, but it's too quiet to make out. Well, the barrel does need to cool some before he can finish the polish. Bob pulls back the screen, bundling up his workgloves and setting 'em aside as Agostina steps into the greybox. 11:24 <tom> "Evening, ...Luisa." 11:25 <Quaker> She has her work duffel on her back. “Oh. Bob. Evening.” The little dolly gets pushed towards the central table. “There’s food if you’re hungry. Help yourself.” 11:25 <Quaker> “I thought Haldane would be here. I meant to…” 11:25 <Quaker> “Apologize to him.” 11:26 <tom> His expression brightens and just keeps getting brighter. "I'm sure he'd be cool with that. I can tell him, if I see him first." 11:27 <Quaker> “Sure.” 11:27 <tom> "...What kind of food.." 11:28 <Quaker> “Indian.” She gestures at the boxes. “Never really picked up all the real dish names, just your regular tikka masala, etcetera. Garlic naan.” 11:28 <tom> He'll go over the takeout boxes. "Hmmmmmm... interesting..." 11:28 <Quaker> “I should apologize to you, too.” 11:28 <tom> "Ha! What about?" 11:29 <tom> He's already loading up on naan. 11:29 <Quaker> “You did something pretty impressive. I lost my temper before I congratulated you.” 11:29 <Quaker> “So…congratulations. On your achievement.” 11:32 <tom> He retreats back to the conference table with his tray and starts breaking off little pieces of bread to scoop into the curry sauce. He chews thoughtfully, squints, closes a bunch of browser tabs on his ODIN, caves, and takes the whole thing off. He folds the visor up on the table and rubs his eyes. "Nah, nah, it's okay. For real. We're all basket cases here." 11:32 <tom> "Comes with the job." 11:33 <tom> "Just make sure you're fully stocked-up on mugs. We're going to be going through a lot, and I wanna see how fast you can whip one out." 11:37 <tom> "Well maybe Aster's not a basket case, but he's some kinda case." 11:39 <Quaker> “I’m not a basket case.” 11:39 <Quaker> “I can just be thoughtless sometimes.” 11:40 <Quaker> “How did your partner take your victory?” 11:40 <tom> "It's a good thing. The last thing I wanna be these days is a despicable normie." 11:41 <tom> He kneads the naan between his fingers. "You can call her Mari. Saying it clinical like that makes it weird. You're gonna meet her in a few days anyhow." He shrugs. 11:42 <Quaker> Badawi puts duffel on the table and unzips it, pulling out her folded rifle and its detached scope. “Isn’t she one of the changelings?” 11:42 <tom> "Yes ma'a- sorry. I found her in a Cheiron containment cell in Boston Harbor." 11:42 <tom> "First good decision of my life." 11:43 <tom> "...She's fine. Happy I didn't get hurt. This is a normal thing for them. Or like, it's initiation." 11:43 <Quaker> “How did you two settle on England? Manchester doesn’t seem like a place one chooses out of pique, when you’ve got all the world to escape to.” 11:44 <tom> "It's her home. She 'fell out of a water spout' after she served a dime in Disney World, or something." 11:44 <tom> "...I sure as shit can't go back to America." 11:45 <Quaker> “What exactly did you get intiated into? Some kind of….fairy gang?” She frowns. “It’s going to be hard to stop Mr. Hughes from gleefully abusing that word switching from slur to technical description.” 11:46 <tom> "I made my peace with the fact we're gonna throw hands at some point over something. It's normal. If you were in FORT you'd get it." 11:46 <tom> "But yeah, fairy gang isn't the worst way to put it." 11:47 <tom> "There's one for each season I guess, based on some... honest to God, Lord of the Rings ancient prophecy bullshit." 11:47 <Quaker> Badawi returns from the kitchenette with a bowl and spoon, and starts ladling food into it. “Bob, don’t take this the wrong way…” 11:48 <Quaker> “But I think that if someone rendered you physically incapable of talking about your extremely classified and dangerous past by name, you might explode.” 11:48 <tom> "That's the one upshot of going renegade, ma'am. I can say whatever dumb shit I want." 11:49 <tom> "Try and stop me," he chuckles. 11:49 <VoxPVoxD> Bzzzzzzz. 11:49 <Quaker> “Four seasons? Like Vivaldi?” 11:49 <Quaker> “Which one is yours?” 11:49 <tom> Bob slides back the chair and, straining, manages to nail the button with his finger. 11:49 <tom> The door unlocks. 11:49 <tom> "...I'm in Winter." 11:50 <Quaker> “That’s unexpectedly grim for you.” 11:50 <Quaker> “Maybe Winter has a less gloomy connotation in their world. Does it?” 11:51 <tom> "...No, it's pretty fucking grim, ma'am." 11:51 <tom> "Sorry. Habit." 11:51 <VoxPVoxD> Willie comes in with a shopping back. "Hello hello...! Agostina, Robert." 11:51 <VoxPVoxD> *bag 11:51 <tom> "They're Mari's crew, I'm not about to ditch her..." 11:52 <Quaker> “Hello. I brought food, if you’re hungry.” 11:52 <tom> Don't respond, Bob, she's trying to break you. Don't let her. "Willie! Hey, what's up?" 11:53 <Quaker> “Did she get to choose her season? Or was it more of a…the hat from the wizard movie. With the little British boy. Harry Potter.” 11:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sniffs. "I might take you up on that. Is that saag paneer?" To Bob: "Nothing, really. I gave the team a half day so I could do some shopping. Richard shouldn't have to pay over the odds to get essentials delivered. What are you two up to?" 11:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sniffs. "I might take you up on that. Is that saag paneer?" To Bob: "Nothing, really. I gave the team a half day so I could do some shopping. Richard shouldn't have to pay over the odds to get essentials delivered. What are you two up to?" 11:54 <tom> "You know, I'm not, heh, totally sure how it works for them. I got to choose, yeah, but I'm a special case." 11:54 <tom> "I'm already a muggle so I think they're treating me like if the dog wanted to get a diploma." 11:57 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's putting stuff like coffee filters, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. away. She also has a little white box wrapped in a blue silk ribbon that she leaves on Richard's desk. "Air Bob." 11:57 <tom> "Oh we're just shooting the shit. Can't finish degaussing the Mjolnir until I can get some liquid helium in, anyway, or the graphene won't-" No one cares. 11:57 <Quaker> Badawi shrugs at Willie. “I was looking for Haldane. And I wanted to congratulate Bob. And ask him for a favor.” 11:57 <tom> Fingers crossed: "It's not an assassination, right." 11:57 <VoxPVoxD> Willie looks up. "...am I interrupting?" 11:58 <Quaker> “No. And no.” 11:58 <tom> "Whatcha need?" 12:00 <Quaker> She slides her rifle forward by an inch. “How would you like this? As a swap.” 12:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sits down at the table and starts dishing herself up some spinach and cheese and rice. Her bag still has one ribbon-tied box in it. Oh, this is going to be good. 12:01 <tom> Bob shoves aside his tray and reaches out to touch the rifle's wooden furniture. "Mind?" 12:01 <Quaker> “Go ahead.” 12:02 <Quaker> “Just don’t try to leave your girlfriend for it.” 12:03 <VoxPVoxD> A sniper rifle also arguably feeds off despair... 12:04 <Quaker> “Willie, you met the changelings, didn’t you?” 12:04 <tom> He takes up the rifle, clearing the chamber and unfolding the stock into his shoulder. Bob squints down the sights. "Birch plywood laminate. Izhevsk stamp on the lower." 12:05 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I've met a couple of the Winter Hill people. They're lovely. Mari, that's Bob's girlfriend, and Sumi, who invited us." 12:05 <Quaker> “That might be counterfeit. I think it’s Chinese.” 12:06 <tom> He squeezes a pin and the stock comes off. Then the cap on the back of the receiver, and then the whole bolt pops out into his hand under spring pressure. "Both can be true. Parts get mixed up all the time." 12:06 <tom> "Yeah see here, the bolt's Norinco." 12:07 <Quaker> “On a scale of normal to vampire, how…strange are they? No offense, Bob.” 12:07 <tom> He replaces the pieces and tensions the spring back into the tube, followed by the bolt. He caps it, locks it, re-attaches the stock. "Hm, that's a question for real." 12:08 <tom> "I didn't figure it out at first, but they're all uh, wearing active camo, all the time." 12:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I can't speak to them with the same depth of knowledge Bob can, but to me they seem like perfectly ordinary people with problems, and some tricks to deal with them." 12:09 <tom> "They're... still kinda keeping me at arms' length." 12:09 <Quaker> “So, like the mages.” 12:09 <Quaker> “That’s good.” 12:09 <Quaker> “Because, honestly, after the vampires…” 12:09 <VoxPVoxD> "They seem to live basically normal lives. Mari's a med student, for instance. She and Bob have a nice little basement flat. It's not like vampires, where they're arbitrarily and suspiciously wealthy, nor is it like the wizards, who all seem to be full-time wizards." 12:09 <Quaker> “I kind of realize that I fucking hate vampires.” 12:10 <tom> "But, if you want... I can bring a fresh bud off a branch and knock on a dumpster in a special order and you guys can see uh." 12:10 <tom> "The other side." 12:10 <VoxPVoxD> "Not an uncommon opinion! That reminds me, I have something for you, Agostina." 12:10 <Quaker> “No offense, Willie.” 12:10 <tom> "That's how strange it gets." 12:10 <VoxPVoxD> She takes the last box out of the bag and puts it on the table between them. 12:10 <Quaker> “Maybe later, Bob. Lately I’m cherising my nights at home.” 12:11 <tom> "Last couple'a weeks have been tough. I'm not sure what's real and what's just the daymares." 12:11 <tom> "...Better since I got off the combat cocktail, I guess." 12:11 <Quaker> Agostina stops fiddling with her fingers. “Oh.” 12:11 <Quaker> “What is it?” 12:11 <VoxPVoxD> "I got you a mug to replace the one I made you break." 12:12 <VoxPVoxD> The mug, if Badawi opens the box: https://i.imgur.com/hxL4WuA.png 12:12 <Quaker> “Oh…” 12:12 <tom> Bob sets the SVD down on the table, taps it with his thumb, covers his face with his hand to try and look thoughtful (instead of smiling, which he is). 12:13 <Quaker> Badawi holds the mug in her hands, turning it over. 12:14 <tom> "I can set up a target if you wanna practice your aim." 12:14 <VoxPVoxD> She's so hard to read... 12:14 <Quaker> They can see her expression rapidly cycling between the first microsecond of a smile and the first microsecond of a frown. It’s a bit disconcerting. 12:15 <Quaker> Badawi gets up and hangs the mug from a handle on the kitchenette rack. 12:15 <tom> He visibly relaxes. 12:15 <Quaker> “That’s very kind of you. Thank you. Really.” 12:15 <Quaker> “I’m sorry for losing my temper lately. With the mug. And Haldane.” 12:16 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I can't make up for any of your hairs that prematurely greyed on my account, but I thought..." She sighs. "This is a very stressful situation. For all of us. We all handle it differently." 12:16 <Quaker> “I don’t mean to make any of you uncomfortable. Sometimes I’m less mindful of my stressors than other times.” 12:17 <tom> Bob folds the rifle's stock back over and slides it back across the table. 12:17 <tom> "Now, the only thing I can't figure, is why you'd want to swap this beauty out?" 12:18 <Quaker> “Can you build me something better?” 12:19 <tom> "Better.... at what?" 12:19 <tom> Bob sits up straight in the chair- he's actually a bit taller than he seems, most of the time. 12:20 <tom> At least that's how he's feeling these days. 12:20 <Quaker> “More accurate. Variable scope. Built-in suppressor. Higher muzzle velocity. Custom cartridge capability. Dissasemble-able.” 12:20 <tom> He scratches his stubble. "I mean, you know, it's just a tool for a job. Different jobs, different tools, yeah?" 12:21 <Quaker> “Well. A chef’s knife is just one tool. But you use it for everything.” 12:22 <tom> "Hmmm. Sure. What's your optimal engagement range? For your purposes let's just say there's two choices. Under two-hundred meters, or over." 12:23 <VoxPVoxD> This is nice. It's almost like a regular breakroom lunch, apart from the topic. 12:23 <VoxPVoxD> Christ she misses in-office. 12:23 <Quaker> “Over. For under I can just get a modded MP5.” 12:24 <tom> "That's pretty extreme range for a nine, but yeah, basically." 12:24 <tom> "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm." He draws it out. "I could maybe get you something in a slightly lighter cartridge for the same kick. Suppressor's the easy part." 12:25 <tom> "It'll still be a honkin' big rifle. I can probably make it fit inside a suitcase." 12:26 <tom> "That's about as small as I can get something with the range you want, you know, it's just phsyics. If you saw down the barrel past a certain point, the slug's out before all the powder's burnt up and you're just pissing away Delta V." 12:27 <tom> "Your 'friends' can probably pick up the optic if you'll let me write it down for 'em. I heard a bunch of day-nights went missing outta Malaysia last year." 12:28 <tom> "Oh, and I'm guessing you want it to not look like utter dogshit, too." 12:28 <tom> "That'll add about a week." 12:28 <Quaker> “If you need parts to work from, just let me know and I’ll have them shipped in.” 12:29 <Quaker> “And in exchange.” She slides the Dragunov across the table. “You can keep it.” 12:30 <tom> Bob takes the weapon up into his arms. Shhh, shhh, it's okay baby, you're safe now. "I will use this only for evil, I hope you've got both eyes open on this-" 12:30 <Quaker> “Well, calm down, I still need it for work until you’re done.” 12:31 <Quaker> She holds her hand out to shake. 12:32 <tom> He shakes on it, slings the rifle back into her hands. 12:33 <tom> He exhales slowly, closes his eyes, nods, and strides into his workshop. 12:35 <Quaker> Badawi puts the rifle back on the table and moves over to the further reaches of the Box, where the cardboard boxes and filing cabinets are stacked and unpacked. Let’s see where she put it… 12:37 <Quaker> She comes back to the table with two mugs and a bottle of fine coconut Tucumán rum. 12:38 <Quaker> “So did you bring up the whole Gardener thing to Mr. Buonasera? And his…faction?” 12:38 <tom> Bob returns, pours himself some coconut rum, goes straight back into the workshop. 12:38 <tom> He's muttering something about 'dropping it back down to 'three-oh-eight.' 12:38 <Quaker> Badawi fetches another mug for Willie. 12:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Not yet. We need to agree what we're doing before we know what we're saying to anyone." 12:39 <VoxPVoxD> "Sergio may be willing to lie for me, but I don't want to put him in a position to have to. He's in very deep with the Inchcape set." 12:40 <Quaker> “Yeah. Probably easier just to find them, if they need a location. But two million is nicer than one.” 12:40 <Quaker> “Do they really drink each other’s blood?” 12:40 <VoxPVoxD> Far too deep. "Damani might just be hoping they're feral, too. If we find them and they're lucid, there are more options on the table, but more complications too." 12:41 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes. It's incestuous and unhygenic and, frankly, an intolerable crime against the human spirit." 12:44 <Quaker> She pours rum up to Garfield’s bottom. “It’s like all the weirdness of weird parents mixed with…I don’t know. A job you can’t quit, where your boss is violating every boundary you can think of.” 12:45 <Quaker> “So they don’t have a problem with your blood? Given that you’re….you know…” 12:45 <Quaker> “English.” 12:45 <VoxPVoxD> Willie takes some rum and tops it with Coke from the fridge. "It's like every nasty stereotype of the Mafia." 12:45 <VoxPVoxD> She giggles into her mug. 12:46 <VoxPVoxD> "That part of my infernal heritage they like very much. The other thing is a curiosity. It means they can't turn me, and my blood isn't as nutritious to them. But Mr. Aster set me up with a vampire scientist he respects, and they have some interesting ideas about what I can do that don't mesh with what I was taught in Milan." 12:47 <VoxPVoxD> "There are real advantages to mucking about with the vampires, even if the dangers are obvious, and the distaste understandable." 12:48 <Quaker> “A vampire scientist. Doing experiments on a demonspawn.” 12:49 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The Big Society in action." 12:49 <Quaker> “Sorry. Probably not politically correct. Doing experiments on ‘a descendant of the Duke of Wellington.” 12:50 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Seven generations descendant, too. Which is how often Milan teaches us that Hell flares up in a bloodline." 12:50 <VoxPVoxD> "I don't know he was one, but I've always suspected." 12:51 <VoxPVoxD> There's like a 75% chance the answer to his is going to depress Willie, but: "What about you? You have family someplace?" 12:52 <Quaker> Badawi refills Garfield’s ass. 12:53 <Quaker> “Sure. I have family all over. My mother moved a lot.” 12:54 <Crion> Buzz from the Greybox door. 12:55 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'll get it." 12:55 <VoxPVoxD> Peeks. "Ah! Aaron, on the side of Caution." She buzzes him in. 12:56 <Crion> Aster, coming through with his work case: "Thank you, Willie. Badawi." 12:56 <Quaker> Agostina gets to her feet, with the slightest hint of a sway. She doesn’t drink a lot, or often. She settles back down once Willie pops up. “Hello, Mr. Aster. We’re drinking to the weekend.” 12:56 <Crion> "...Yes, I see." 12:56 <Quaker> “There’s Indian food if you’re hungry.” 12:56 <Crion> "I suppose I can have a plate." 12:57 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Agostina brought some lovely Argentine rum. There's Coke in the fridge." 12:58 <Quaker> “And we can watch something on Haldane’s new TV if you want. They had…” She goes over to the dolly and comes back with the VHS tapes. “The Man Who Would Be King…Black Narcissus…and Badlands.” 12:58 <Crion> Aster will be fine with water. 12:58 <Crion> Aster: "Sounds like heavy fare." 12:58 <Crion> He puts down his case and turns on his work laptop. 12:58 <VoxPVoxD> "Oh, I've heard good things about Badlands. I don't watch as many films as I should. I'm always working when I'm home and it's just easier to have the telly on." 12:59 <VoxPVoxD> Sitting down again, she gets a naan to mop up her curry and pours some more rum. "Sergio was very excited to learn we were making three masks for Samhain. In fact I think he might be making a full set for the team, just as a creative exercise." 13:00 <Quaker> “There was a period of two years in Mexico where we didn’t have any internet or cable where we were working. Just a big pile of old Hollywood movies dubbed over in Spanish.” 13:01 <Crion> Aster snorts. "Arts and crafts." 13:01 <Quaker> “In fact, I’m pretty sure that Harry Potter might be the only movie I’ve seen that was made after 1990.” 13:01 <Quaker> “Not my choice. Babysitting.” 13:01 <Crion> "Please tell me he didn't ask for our astrological signs." 13:01 <Quaker> “Pretty good, though.” 13:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "No! He asked me what I thought your spirit animals were." 13:01 <Crion> Aster: "As a movie, or as a babysitting movie?" 13:01 <Crion> Aster: "As a movie, or as a babysitting movie?" 13:02 <Crion> Aster: "Oh, christ." 13:02 <Quaker> “I was babysitting, and the babies picked the movie.” 13:02 <Quaker> “What am I?” 13:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I believe we settled on an ovenbird." 13:03 <VoxPVoxD> She's not sure if it's the rum or that she feels like she's cleared the air a bit but that was not as hard to admit as she would've guessed. 13:04 <Quaker> “No idea what that is. Is it nice?” 13:04 <Crion> Aster: "That's what Americans call a turkey." 13:05 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I think so! They're lovely songbirds." 13:05 <VoxPVoxD> "Their nests are little domes on the ground." 13:05 <Crion> Aster: "I hesitate to ask what mine was, given that grinches are likely off the menu." 13:05 <Quaker> “Turkeys live in little domes?” 13:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I was going to suggest owl, Mr. Aster, but vampires have some sort of cultural taboo around owls. So I proposed: dolphin." 13:06 <Quaker> “Vampires are scared of owls?” 13:06 <Crion> Aster makes a face. "Dolphins? Water perverts." 13:07 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Humans are land perverts, and you freely admit to being one of them." 13:07 <Crion> He snorts again. 13:07 <VoxPVoxD> "Rolf is a bulldog, obviously." 13:08 <Crion> Aster: "Is Bob's partner making his?" 13:08 <Crion> "I see he's been busy at his work station, but I assume that's not a mask that fires 7.62 NATO." 13:09 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I don't know what Bob and Mari's plans are." She's not going to say 'I expect Bob to show up in full costume', because as intensely focused as he is, he is still right there. 13:09 <VoxPVoxD> "So what did you make of the changelings you met?" 13:09 <VoxPVoxD> To Badawi: "He's met different ones than I have." 13:10 <Quaker> “More or less weird than the nice ladies?” 13:10 <VoxPVoxD> "One of them seemed to be named Cvlt Deathwish." 13:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie somehow pronounces that with a hard V and no vowel. 13:11 <Quaker> “Maybe their parents really liked Charles Bronson.” 13:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "And Slayer, yeah." 13:11 <Crion> Aster: "I believe they choose their own names. To an extent." 13:12 <Crion> "'Cvlt' certainly does." 13:13 <Crion> "But to your question, I didn't make much of them at all. I don't trust the old Indian man, but then, why would you expect that I would. I have yet to be introduced to 'Mari' in any significant regard." 13:15 <VoxPVoxD> "Mari is lovely. Very smart, very funny. Very..." Willie searches for a word. "Professional." 13:16 <Quaker> Badawi puts on Black Narcissus. 13:16 <Quaker> As the credits roll: “Now, why can’t Mr. Hughes be like this. Just a little racist, but in a charming way.” 13:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "He thinks he is like that. That's what's so sad." 13:18 <Quaker> “I wonder if Bazza and Gazza are somehow actually nicer.” 13:19 <Quaker> “Maybe he’s just the Evil Spice.” 13:19 <Crion> Aster: "Historically, no. No, they're not." 13:19 <Crion> "They're merely slighty different, while being undifferentiated." 13:20 <Crion> "We lucked out with Bob; we weren't going to hit that straight flush twice." 13:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "If I had to guess, they're meaner, because they're nowhere near as dangerous as Rolf is. He doesn't have the insecurity that comes from being the little guy." 13:21 <Quaker> “A songbird? Because of the song?” 13:21 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "And because you're so low-key ordinarily. And you value your safety so highly, I thought the nests..." 13:22 <Quaker> “I’m not that short.” 13:22 <Quaker> “But I’m not tall enough to be a heron.” 13:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's not meant to credibly disguise you as a bird." 13:22 <Crion> Aster, to Willie: "And what animal are you?" 13:23 <Quaker> “Maybe a swan. Probably a duck.” 13:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Sergio is making mine to look like dessert. I believe strawberries and cream were mentioned." 13:23 <Crion> Aster: "Good god." 13:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I think I would make an excellent goose." 13:24 <Crion> Vampires. Just have sex in public, why don't you. 13:24 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's wondering if there'll be a dancefloor. 13:25 <VoxPVoxD> She was listening to the other Bob's song on the way over. 13:25 <Quaker> “Kind of a weird idea, Willie. I see the vampires are rubbing off on you.” 13:25 <Quaker> “Is he going as a can of whipped cream?” 13:25 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'm letting him surprise me." 13:26 <Crion> Aster: "I hope you haven't given the impression I'll be nice to him." 13:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I did suggest dolphin." 13:28 <Crion> Aster: "People expect dolphins to be nice. That's how they get you." 13:28 <VoxPVoxD> "That's how they got me." 13:29 <VoxPVoxD> "Fish don't seem to mind me, I was hoping that dolphins... nope. Leapt out of the water, did a full 360, just to slap me." 13:30 <VoxPVoxD> "I think it's a warm/cold blooded thing." 13:30 <Quaker> “Can you talk to snakes?” 13:31 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes, but that's not a Satan thing. That's because I'm a Slytherin." 13:33 <Crion> Aster: "A what?" 13:33 <Crion> "Why are you slithering?" 13:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's from Harry Potter. I loved those books when I was little. Didn't care for the movies. It broke my heart when the author turned out to be awful." 13:37 <VoxPVoxD> "What did you two do for fun when you were children?" 13:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's making the assumption that they've both been children and had fun. 13:40 <Crion> Aster: "What kind of question is--" 13:40 <Crion> "I played sports." 13:40 <VoxPVoxD> "Right, of course. The All-American." 13:42 <Crion> Aster: "No, not football. I was talented, not foolish." 13:42 <Crion> "Lacrosse was full of many of the same shitheads...but they gave you a stick to hit them with." 13:42 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "You had a brain to protect." 13:43 <Crion> "I also ran track." 13:43 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "And swum, yeah?" 13:43 <VoxPVoxD> "Hence the..." 13:43 <Quaker> “I could be a swan.” 13:44 <Quaker> “Are they the ones who mate for life?” 13:44 <VoxPVoxD> "That was my original suggestion, actually." 13:44 <VoxPVoxD> "But swans are also terribly rude." 13:44 <Crion> Aster: "In college, yes." 13:44 <Crion> Aster: "We weren't quite so rich as to have high school swimming teams. Lacrosse was already a stretch." 13:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I played squash." 13:47 <Crion> Aster: "What is that. Racquetball?" 13:47 <Crion> "Is this a baseball/rounders divide?" 13:48 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "A little bit. Racquetball racquets are shorter than squash rackets. Racquetballs are bigger and bounce more than squash balls." 13:49 <VoxPVoxD> "The main difference is that you can hit the ball off the ceiling in racquetball, but not in squash." 13:49 <Crion> Aster: "The final frontier." 13:51 <Quaker> Badawi mutters something under her breath. 13:52 <Crion> Aster ignores her. 13:52 <VoxPVoxD> Willie glances over, but doesn't say anything. 13:55 <VoxPVoxD> "Poor Sister Ruth..." 13:57 <Quaker> “It would be nice if India actually looked like that.” 13:57 <VoxPVoxD> "Did this come out before or after independence? I can't tell. Obviously it's set before." 13:58 <Quaker> “1947.” 13:58 <Crion> Aster will glance up from his computer whenever the music really builds, then usually glance away. 13:58 <VoxPVoxD> "Right on the wire." 13:59 <VoxPVoxD> "A timely rumination on how trying to be somewhere you don't belong will drive you mad." 13:59 <Quaker> “I know the feeling.” 14:00 <VoxPVoxD> "Do you know where you're headed when you've made enough money?" 14:00 <Quaker> “I’ve already made enough money.” 14:00 <VoxPVoxD> "Oh." 14:00 <Crion> Aster: "So what. You're doing this for fun?" 14:01 <VoxPVoxD> "It is inarguably a unique job." 14:01 <Quaker> Badawi refill’s Garfield’s ass for a third time. 14:01 <Quaker> “I am doing this…because….” 14:01 <VoxPVoxD> That surprises Willie. The motivation, not the drinking. 14:02 <Crion> She got a new mug of his ass? 14:02 <Crion> Apparently so. 14:03 <Quaker> “I like the work. And I have time to kill. And I have people who asked me to be here.” 14:03 <Quaker> “A lot of time to kill. Years.” 14:04 <Crion> Aster: "Well. I can assure you that when I have enough money, you will never hear from me again outside of e-mail." 14:04 <Crion> "And even that I will check once a week at most." 14:04 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "What's enough for you? Do you have a number? A piece of property in mind?" 14:05 <Crion> "Ten million." 14:05 <Quaker> “Maybe if we kill enough Draculas we can have their castles. Right of conquest.” 14:05 <Crion> "If you're unable to live out the rest of your life to complete satisfaction on ten million and its investment potential, you're one of the creatures we hunt." 14:05 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Inchcape is nice. They've got a lovely garden, an airtight bunker, a school of burglary..." 14:06 <Quaker> “A what?” 14:06 <Crion> "A what?" 14:06 <VoxPVoxD> "An airtight bunker." 14:06 <Crion> Aster just leans forward and stares. 14:06 <Quaker> “A school of burglary?” 14:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "They hold court in the bunker. That's where I met Emily and the rest of the Gang of Four." 14:07 <VoxPVoxD> To Agostina: "Yeah. I didn't poke around, but it was pointed out to me on my way in." 14:07 <Crion> "Willie, the bunker is nice. We don't care about the bunker." 14:07 <Crion> "A school of burglary? What do they need that for?" 14:07 <Quaker> “They’re…thieves?” 14:07 <Crion> "In the second order, I mean." 14:08 <Quaker> ?????………???????!??!???!?!?!??!?!?!?!?! 14:08 <Crion> "Obviously, they need it to train blood slaves in the art of burglary." 14:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Did you not notice the spike in high-value burglaries over the pandemic in the crime stats we looked at?" 14:08 <Crion> "Why would they spike?" 14:08 <Quaker> “What the…fuck…” 14:08 <VoxPVoxD> "Because of all the vampires breaking in to drink people's blood." 14:08 <Crion> "A school of burglary implies they've been doing this for quite some time." 14:08 <VoxPVoxD> "No one was going outside, after all." 14:08 <VoxPVoxD> "Not necessarily." 14:09 <Quaker> Badawi puts her mug down. “We have to kill these two vampires!” 14:09 <Quaker> “And then the rest of them!” 14:09 <Crion> "What, did they hire a semester teacher in from the continent?" 14:09 <Quaker> “Not yours. But the rest.” 14:09 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "They certainly could have." 14:09 <VoxPVoxD> "Wait, why is burglary where you draw the line?" 14:09 <Crion> Aster: "Calm down, Badawi. You always knew in your heart that vampires were capable of property crime." 14:10 <Quaker> “They’re already rich!” 14:10 <Crion> Aster: "Since when has that ever stopped a thief?" 14:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Almost all theft is done by people who are already rich." 14:10 <Quaker> “It’s like…what if Henry Ford was trying to be the greatest race car driver in the world? You’d have to kill him out of principle.” 14:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Look at the British Museum." 14:11 <Quaker> “It’s not right.” 14:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Maybe we can get them to invest in space travel." 14:13 <Quaker> “Wait, then why are you doing this, Wellesley? You’re already rich.” 14:14 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "My family is rich. I live on my salary. But... yeah, I'm not really here for the money. I got into hunting to... you know... help people." 14:14 <Quaker> “…” 14:15 <VoxPVoxD> "The money is important to our model, because paying agreed-on fees on time is a measure of respect. But I would be here for free, probably." 14:15 <VoxPVoxD> "Jack knew it." 14:16 <Crion> Aster: "Entry level at the Philadelphia Office of the Medical Examiner was $65,000 and benefits. And that's in 1996 money." 14:16 <Quaker> “I mean…” 14:16 <Crion> If you were wondering why Aster got into it. 14:17 <Quaker> Badawi shrugs. “I guess I’m just old. I’m looking forward to retirement.” 14:17 <Quaker> “Breakfast in bed. More trips to the zoo with the church youth.” 14:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That sounds lovely." 14:18 <Crion> Aster: "I could do without the church youth." 14:18 <Crion> "Or the zoo." 14:19 <Quaker> “Sleeping in. Knockin’ boots. Eheh.” 14:20 <Quaker> “Fireplaces. Cooking. Parades.” 14:23 <VoxPVoxD> "Those are all essential to a good life," Willie agrees. "I just... every night I go out and I see something I've never seen before. Sometimes it's a problem no one else will touch, and I can help. Sometimes it's something old and awful and awesome, and I can learn. Sometimes it's secret, ephemeral, lonely..." 14:23 <VoxPVoxD> Good thing she didn't drive here. 14:24 <VoxPVoxD> "I realise that I don't talk like someone who makes it to retirement age." 14:24 <Crion> Aster shakes his head. 'He's done a number on this one's head' is what he's thinking, but the scary and maybe more likely option is this vampire just happened to be the one who was around to walk into it. 14:24 <Crion> "You do not." 14:26 <Quaker> “What’s to learn?” 14:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "What do you mean?" 14:28 <Crion> Aster shuts down his laptop. "Well, I've got what I need. I'll leave you ladies to this and..." He frowns at what's happening on the screen. "...This." 14:28 <Quaker> “Does fulfilling your curiosity make you feel less lonely? Or more happy?” 14:28 <Crion> "Have a good weekend." 14:29 <Quaker> “Goodnight.” 14:29 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes. Both. Immensely." 14:29 <VoxPVoxD> "Have a good weekend, Aaron." 14:29 <Quaker> “Mm.” 14:29 <Quaker> “I guess it used to, for me.” 14:29 <Quaker> “Not anymore.” 14:29 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Is it because of what you've seen, or what you haven't seen?" 14:30 <Crion> He leaves his lab coat, oddly. 14:31 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's eyebrows go up. 14:31 <VoxPVoxD> Then she smiles. 14:31 <VoxPVoxD> She feels happier. And less lonely. 14:33 <Quaker> “I just stopped believing in catharsis. I don’t think there’s some kind of divine occult truth out there that will carry you across a threshold. Just more problems. Look at the vampires. Look at the mages.” 14:33 <Quaker> “I kept seeing incredible things. And kept coming home to an empty apartment.” 14:33 <Quaker> “And one day I realized the empty apartment bothered me more.” 14:34 <Quaker> “And that artifacts don’t keep you warm.” 14:34 <VoxPVoxD> Nor do corpses. 14:34 <VoxPVoxD> "...yeah." 14:35 <VoxPVoxD> "What makes you feel less lonely?" 14:36 <Quaker> Badawi shrugs again. “My marriage. My family. Poetry. Friends. Music.” 14:37 <Quaker> “The rest….” She waves a hand in dismissal. “Exciting. I’m good at it. But it’s inessential.” 14:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "La tarde más se oscurece; y el camino se serpea y débilmente blanquea; se enturbia y desaparece." 14:38 <VoxPVoxD> "That was a lovely poem, I thought." 14:40 <Quaker> “Mi cantar vuelve a plañir: ‘Aguda espina dorada, quién te pudiera sentir en el corazón clavada.’” 14:41 <Quaker> “It is.” 14:43 <Quaker> “I don’t know. Don’t listen to me. I never had a problem with getting married or early retirement. It was just…circumstance. But some people have to keep moving.” 14:49 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sits back, balancing the empty mug on her chest, sighting Badawi over the rim. "...yeah." 14:49 <Quaker> “Someone who chooses you over the world is more valuable than the world.” 14:50 <VoxPVoxD> Willie smiles. "You're right." 14:50 <Quaker> “So what does your boyfriend look like, anyway.” 14:51 <Quaker> “Do you have a not blurry picture?” 14:51 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I have a portrait." 14:51 <Quaker> “In…oils?” 14:52 <VoxPVoxD> She shows her. "I matched with him on the strength of this. It was his reference picture." 14:54 <VoxPVoxD> "The linework is quite accurate; he's a very good artist. But he looks a bit younger than this, and obviously he's human-coloured." 14:54 <VoxPVoxD> "He's also in very good shape, which is not obvious from the portrait." 14:55 <Quaker> Badawi looks genuinely impressed. “Handsome. Can’t go wrong with the Italians.” 14:55 <Quaker> “Is he nice?” 14:58 <VoxPVoxD> She sighs gently. "Very much so. He's sweet and idealistic and proud... but to them he's just a brick in the pyramid." 14:59 <Quaker> “But he stays because they’re family?” 14:59 <VoxPVoxD> "I told him about my trouble with animals and he persuaded a neighbourhood cat to play with me. I cried like a baby." 15:01 <VoxPVoxD> Ah, Christ. She tears up again a bit at the memory. Even a considered, responsible amount of blood loss is no joke on your alcohol tolerance. Plus she hasn't been drinking like she used to since she moved. 15:01 <VoxPVoxD> Maybe this place isn't so bad for her, on balance. 15:03 <Quaker> Badawi is digging through her very old, very battered wallet. 15:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie looks on eagerly. 15:05 <Quaker> She slides a photograph across the table. “He’s not from the 1950s. We were just at a theme party, and someone was using black and white film, and I liked it…” 15:05 <Quaker> https://i.imgur.com/7OJ5BgR.jpg 15:06 <VoxPVoxD> "Oh my." 15:06 <VoxPVoxD> "Well done." 15:06 <Quaker> “Thank you.” 15:07 <VoxPVoxD> "I noticed that Richard had started calling you Mrs. Badawi instead of Ms. Badawi. I guess Jack did some snooping." 15:07 <Quaker> “I haven’t been able to persuade him to abandon our large criminal family and enjoy the quiet life. But he never convinced me, either. I hope you have better luck with yours.” 15:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'm definitely going to try. And I am very persistent, and not unpersuasive." 15:09 <Quaker> “Don’t end up like me. Waiting out the clock until you can see them again.” 15:10 <Quaker> “Anyway…that’s probably enough rum for me.” 15:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Well, I don't think there's much chance of that." 15:10 <VoxPVoxD> "Me too." 15:10 <Quaker> She peers into the dark corners of the Box again. “There’s sleeping bags around here….” Willie can see the bags under her eyes. 15:11 <Quaker> “I mean, we did just find out they have vampire jail.” 15:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "My place is only a short walk away, and I've got a spare bedroom." 15:11 <VoxPVoxD> "But yeah, I think Bob's pulled an all-nighter or two." 15:11 <VoxPVoxD> "Richard's very gracious." 15:12 <Quaker> Badawi waves her off. “I appreciate it. Really. And I would say yes. But we can’t make it that easy for them. Have to keep our routes and homes separate. I’m moving apartments next month just in case.” 15:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That's smart." 15:13 <VoxPVoxD> "Ever since I found out I live a block from Elysium I've been thinking about breaking my lease..." 15:13 <VoxPVoxD> "I'll tidy up here. Good night, Agostina." 15:15 <Quaker> “You’ve got access to personnel records, don’t you? I can show you how to make a fake identity…” She wanders off into the boxes, which eventually stop shuffling once she finds the sleeping bag. The younger woman will be able to hear Badawi softly call out “Goodnight, Willie,” over the piles of equipment. 15:19 <VoxPVoxD> When Richard comes back in, aside from a clean office, a working Bob, a sleeping Badawi, and the sundries Willie brought, he'll find a rather heavy gift-wrapped box. Inside is a clock with its workings half-exposed beneath a removable plastic display. Brass, steel, and rubber, it looks rather like a human heart - https://i.imgur.com/eRQmu3m.jpg - and is set in a base etched with the name 15:19 <VoxPVoxD> RICHARD HALDANE. 15:20 <VoxPVoxD> INDISPENSABLE