Scenario Entitled: Wait For It. . .Characters:
Darren, idealistic Cyber-Knight, changing the world one Alejandra at a time.
Alejandra, won't be changed, thank you very much.
Location: The Java Factory, a popular cafe in the NW Sector.
Date: Early Summer, 110 P.A.
The door opens, and chill air breezes into the coffeeshop, eddying about as a tall, thickset man of unattractive features strides in, shutting the door securely behind him. Lifting a hand to brush an errant lock of hair from his brow, Darren's gaze calmly sweeps over the room, pausing here or there, before he tucks his hands back into his pockets and begins to wend his way through the room, perhaps heading for the counter to purchase something.
Curled up in a chair is one Alejandra, a cup of something hot cradled in her hands against her chest to soak up the warmth. She's got her eyes set to half-mast, gaze drifting idly around the room while she relaxes.
Leaning briefly upon the counter, Darren speaks quietly, gesturing with a hand, and after paying, is given a steaming cup of liquid. Taking a slow sip, the man's brow lofts slightly, looking at the cup, before he nods approvingly. He turns and begins to make his way through the room, searching for a convenient chair.
At this time of morning, there aren't many folk in here - most patrons show up earlier or later in the day. So Alejandra's drowsy gaze settles on the wandering gentleman, watching without much interest. When she brings her own cup up for sipping, fingers brush over one of her cheeks and the tattoos there. And at that touch, the gold and blue lines shiver and shift away into new patterns, though the woman doesn't seem to notice.
Well ... Darren does-- perhaps through luck, or perhaps because as he wends his way through the room, his own gaze is wandering the area, pausing here or there as he takes another sip. A single brow rises, and as the man passes Alejandra, the man speaks, a vibrant, soft baritone, "Hello there, miss." He's polite-- utterly so, his manner quiet and calm, rather than suggestive.
A hint of surprise touches Alejandra's features at the greeting. "Hello," she answers, forehead wrinkling up a little. "I'm sorry, have we met?" It's clear she doesn't remember him, if they have.
"No, I don't think we have, actually. I was merely being polite. I do apologize if I was disturbing you." Darren's soft baritone states this simply, before he shrugs, transferring his cup to his other hand, and offers his now-free hand to the young woman, "I'm known as Darren. Darren Faulken, it's a pleasure." The man is forthright, it would appear.
She mirrors the motion, setting her own cup aside so she can settle a small hand into the offered one. "Alejandra Hawthorne," Alejandra murmurs in return. "Pleasure on my part too, Mr. Faulken." A smile flashes up, as warm as a stranger could hope for - which is actually plenty warm. "You aren't disturbing me, I just wanted to be sure I hadn't forgotten someone again. Lots of people in this city."
His demeanor is warm enough, but in a ... civil sort of way, if that's possible. His fingers close upon hers, squeezing firmly enough before releasing her hand. "I thought I would make sure of that, I would hate to disturb. However, please, call me 'Darren', if you will." The man transfers his cup back to his other hand, taking a sip, and then, pausing, states, "Know a lot of people in the city, then?"
Alejandra makes a small motion at the front door. "Alejandra then. And I've been here for a few years, so I know my fair share." The cup is brought back up for cradling, a tip of her head indicating one of the nearby seats, the gesture spilling curls down over a shoulder. "If you're not busy, would you like to join me? I could use some company to keep awake."
Lips quirking slightly, Darren inclines his head, "I am hardly busy: I only very recently arrived within Tolkeen, and am still trying to learn of the city. It would be an honor." The man settles himself quietly into a seat a distance from Alejandra's, keeping away from her 'personal space', as it were, and takes a slow sip, before setting his cup down. "Tired? Did you have a rough night, perhaps, Alejandra?"
"Up studying," she offers. "And I have a shift to start in a bit, I thought I'd come get something to warm me up." Alejandra shifts out of her curled position in her chair, legs extending out until she's sitting quite properly. "What brings you here to the City," /the/ city, the only important one, "Business?"
"Mmm. Not particularly: I had heard of the Academy, and thought I might visit now and again, if possible. Tolkeen is one of the few cities with an open system of education. I teach children, personally, I may get a job doing such, if I can arrange it..." The man trails off, shoulder rising in a half-shrug, "...it depends on how things work out. I likely shall be staying in Tolkeen for a time, at any rate."
Alejandra's nose wrinkles up, "Children? At the Academy? I guess if they've developed powers young enough..." She shrugs, "I hadn't really thought about it, I don't have much to do with kids."
Darren shakes his head, slightly, "Not what I meant. I meant for /me/, I'd like to drop in now and again. I'm not a magician or such, but I'm curious about that sort of thing, I enjoy learning. My path of sorts, is to teach, though. Children."
Alejandra ahhs softly, a faint exhalation. "They've got some fascinating classes there," she informs, enthusiasm lending a bit of color to her cheeks. "You should definitely look into it, even if you don't have any interest in touching the magic yourself." Uh-oh, a favorite subject, watch out.
Canting his head to the side, Darren shrugs, "I've my path-- magic isn't among it except in the abstract, I am afraid. However, yes, that's one reason I'm here. To learn, as well as to teach." His fingers close casually upon his mug, and he takes another sip. "I take it you attend the Academy. Might I ask what your own fascination deals with? What do you study in particular?"
Alejandra leans forward a little, her own cup set aside so she can motion along with her enthused words. "Me? I'm involved in the Lines. I haven't really decided on a specific path for research yet, I'm still busy with other things." The topic is clearly one she loves, expression alight with pleasure. "Right now, I'm trying as many different sorts of work as possible to find out what I like the most. Plenty of time to make a decision like that."
Smiling slightly at this, Darren nods: he stretches, lightly, and murmurs, "It's always good to consider the future till you're sure what you wish. What fascinates you the most about the Ley Lines?" He sounds curious, his fingers brushing a lock of hair from his brow as he regards the woman.
Alejandra holds her hands a foot or so apart, as if stretching something between her palms. "When you step into the Line, you /become/ the energy." Her expression is dreamy, caught up in the memory just by talking about it. "You feel everything, stretched out along it for miles and miles, or just a few feet, depending on the Line. Every footstep past it can be felt, every breath of wind and whispered word." A sigh escapes. "Then you break away from it."
Canting his head to the side again, Darren regards Alejandra: he nods, slowly, brow furrowing briefly, before he says, "It sounds like an interesting feeling. How many times have you done it?" Real curiosity here, as he lifts a hand, brushing another errant lock of hair, then leans back, watching her calmly. "Is it difficult to break away from it?"
"Well, that's part of the training," Alejandra explains. "To keep enough of your own self that you can return to your body when you're done. And how many times... I've never bothered to keep count."
"Training and discipline is usually an important facet of anything that revolves around power, be it magic, psychic, or merely physical." Darren nods his head at this, considering, and then curves his lips into a smile. "How long have you been studying?"
Her forehead furrows up, "A year or two, give or take a couple months." Alejandra shakes her head, the motion setting curls tumbling over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I'm babbling." A wry smile tugs at her lips, "I get caught up in this sometimes. You mentioned teaching? What is it exactly that you teach?"
Darren shrugs, "I teach children. Both the basics of the world, be it mathematics, basic sciences, and history, but also how to think for themselves. I think the most important thing, is the latter, to keep an open mind about such things."
Alejandra is trying to look interested, really she is. It just isn't working too well. "What age children do you work with?"
"Mmm. From around six or seven till fourteen or so, mostly." He chuckles, lightly, and considers, "It's something of a cliche, but it's true. If you want the world to be a better place, there's two things to do. One, make the world better for the children...and two, teach those children the right thing." Lips quirking, the man shrugs, "I do the first." Perhaps sensing the woman's lack of interest in this topic, Darren deftly changes the subject, "I had someone ask me why Ley Lines flow where they do. Do you happen to know?"
Alejandra shakes her head, returning to this topic without a bit of hesitation. "Not really... it's one of those advanced topics they cover in a class I haven't taken yet." There's no trace of apology in the admittance that she doesn't know. "I'd suggest you go ask one of the professors at the Academy, but you'd probably be there for hours listening to him drone on and on, using too many words to explain it badly." Another grin flares up into place. "Some classes and topics are easier to take than others."
Darren stifles a chuckle: he grins towards Alejandra, shrugging a shoulder, "Ah well, it was curiosity. I know a bit about the theory, but don't know that sort of thing." His lips quirk further, and he adds, "As for 'droning on', I've experienced it now and again in my time, sometimes the end result is worth it. Just requires discipline and fortitude to endure." He glances slowly around the cafe, before returning his attention to you, "What subjects do you find particularly easy and interesting to take? 'sides Lines?"
The glance away reminds Alejandra that she's got a drink too. Over she leans to pluck it up, taking an absent sip. "I'm working with the Line Observation Teams at the moment, actually. We keep an eye on the Lines to make sure nothing big and nasty is coming for a visit. So I'm looking into long-distance spells and rituals, as well as the more large-scale defensive sort."
Darren mms, "That's interesting, to be sure." Darren admits this, before asking curiously, "Did you hear about the poor family who were turned to stone? Have you heard anything about that? I heard about it not long after I arrived within the city. Disturbing event, don't you agree?"
"Yeah, I heard about it," Alejandra agrees. "It's an absolutely amazing effect, the flesh to stone." The woman's voice holds a wealth of intellectual curiosity, with not much sympathy for the family in question. "Far too complicated for me at this point, but give it time. My master might have been able to help them, but he left to go conduct research of his own a year or so back, and there's no way to get in touch with him. Which is a shame, because it'd be wonderful to watch him reverse things." There's some regret finally, even if it's not for the right reason.
Watching her a long moment, all Darren does is nod, "Indeed, it's a great tragedy." His features are composed, calm: he tilts his head to the side, and asks, "I heard they were looking for someone to reverse the effect. Know if they've found anyone, or have any ideas, yet?" Even as he speaks, Darren pushes his cup away lightly, and adds, with a smile, "Or any idea who did it?"
Alejandra shakes her head, "Not that I've heard. I'm sure it'd be all over the news the moment they did find anything out." Her forehead wrinkles up a bit, "Everything else is, after all. I wonder if there's been any attempt to contact the family through telepathy, to find out if they know who their attacker is." Her tone takes on a musing note. "For that matter, I wonder if stone can be contacted that way, if there's any awareness left at all."
Darren considers, shrugging, "I don't know. One might think that it's kind of suspended, but I have no clue, for well and true." The man gestures with a hand, "I'm not that knowledgable about such things." Lips quirking wryly, he shrugs, leaning back. "It's an idea though. I'm sure if it's possible, they thought of it...which suggests, I suppose, that it isn't."
Her hands dance about while she speaks, illustrating her words. "Even if they could be contacted, you'd need to keep the circumstances in mind. After being trapped in stone like that, if they /were/ aware, they'd be screaming mad by now."
A soft sigh is the only response, and the man shakes his head, "Well...do people who come out of such conditions exhibit signs of insanity? If not, then it's likely that they are not aware. Which, I suppose, would be more humane, at least, in the long run."
Alejandra continues to show little sign of sympathy, as evidenced by the grin that tugs at her lips. "If it was a person who did it, do you think he or she is particularly worried about the sanity of the victim? Humane doesn't seem like it enters the equation."
Darren shrugs, lightly, "That depends on whether you think the universe itself is humane, don't you think?" Darren shrugs lightly, watching Alejandra a moment, then stretches, brow furrowing, and changes the subject. He's a bit disturbed by her lack of sympathy, though he tries to not let it show. "Where would you suggest someone new to Tolkeen go, as he learns the city?"
"Of course it isn't," Alejandra answers immediately. But she doesn't dwell on that topic, moving on without hesitation. "What sort of thing are you interested in? I know a couple of the bars, nice and otherwise, if that's your thing. There's a gym across the street," she tips her head to indicate the street in question. "And there're lots of people in the market down at the Plaza. It's a big city, plenty of places to go, things to do. Have you gotten a chance to visit the zoo?"
Darren stifles a chuckle: he doesn't argue about the universe in general, instead considering, "I don't drink much, but I like to watch people. I've already visited the Succubus and another tavern. I like places like libraries and other places to learn, of course." His fingers slowly rap upon the surface of the table, gaze going briefly distant, before focussing again upon Alejandra, "Other than that, make a suggestion."
Alejandra is silent for a bit of consideration. Finally she offers, "Like I said, the zoo. It's tucked away in the Naiad Library. Tarn East has the museums, that sort of place. And the Academy has a wonderful library tucked away inside, I'm not sure if it's open to the public or not."
Darren nods, "I didn't want to pry, so didn't enter the grounds to the Academy. It would not be mete to do so." Shrugging easily, the man leans back, considering, "Is this Naiad Library open to the public?"
"Yeah. I think there might be a price for tickets, but I haven't been there in a while so I'm not sure what it is anymore." Alejandra motions off towards the far wall - east, if one is paying attention. "It's down on Tarn East too, along with the museums and art galleries."
He is. He inclines his head, "All right. I appreciate that." Lips curving slowly, Darren chuckles lightly, stretching, "What else? Anyplace one shouldn't go to?"
Shoulders roll in a loose shrug. "The lower half of the city is the rough half." Alejandra doesn't sound too worried about it, mind. "You'll know it if you start wandering where you shouldn't. Just be ready to turn around if things start looking too dangerous."
"I shall." Darren's lips quirk, slightly, and he nods, "I thank you, Alejandra: it's good to speak to someone about the city." His gaze is forthright, his lips curving further, trailing off as he looks briefly about the cafe again.
That smile flares up again, "No problem, it's good for keeping awake." Alejandra sets her now-empty cup down, relaxing back in her seat with a sigh.
"Mmmm. Are you often this fatigued?" Brow rising ironically, Darren chuckles, "It might do you good to rest more, so you aren't?" He makes a motion, "Regardless, rest usually results in a keener mind."
Faint amusement lends a rich note to Alejandra's voice. "I'll keep that in mind, Mister Faulken." The full name is used deliberately. "And no, I don't usually stay up all night before going to work."
Darren chuckles lightly: he makes a face, and winks towards her, "That was a little over the top, wasn't it?" He shrugs, slowly, and leans back, appraising her, "What do you do for a living then, besides attending the school?"
"Like I said, I watch the Lines with the Observation teams." Alejandra shrugs lightly, "I don't go to class too often these days, actually. I've taken care of all the base courses, anything else is just icing at this point, and depends on whatever route I end up following for research."
Darren ahhs, "I see. I thought that was part of classwork. I didn't realize it was an occupation." He nods, slowly, and lifts a hand to brush it through his hair again. "That's interesting, then. So your studies now are basically individual and focussed by your interests? That's good, then."
She bobs her head in a nod. "Exactly." Alejandra brushes her own hair aside, the motion setting her tattoos ashiver again. "And since I don't have any specific interests at this point, I work on whatever catches my interest at the time, until I'm ready for something new."
He can't help it: not with the movements again. Darren asks curiously, "Might one ask a personal question?" He pauses briefly, before forging ahead, gesturing with his fingers, "How did you get those ... tattoos? It's a rather interesting effect."
"Isn't it?" Alejandra reaches up to touch them deliberately this time, fingertips trailing along her cheek slowly. The lines react, flowing along behind the touch and swirling down underneath the neck of her dress. She holds out her hands and the gold-and-blue streams down onto palms and fingers, settling into woven lines there. "Luck, mostly. And I haven't found any of the ink since then." A bright grin flashes, "I'd be rich if I could. Can you imagine how much it'd go for?"
Darren's brow rises ironically as he watches this effect, and he says easily, "Hmm. I can quite imagine, yes. Did you make it by accident, or find the ink someplace, and don't know where to find more." The man's gaze flickers briefly to your fingers as the lines take root there.
The lines slowly settle down into place, looking like nothing more nor less than simple tattoos in intricate patterns. "The latter," Alejandra answers easily. "I haven't been able to find any more, unfortunately."
Darren hmms, nodding, "Where did you find it? Do you know who made it?" It would appear that Darren's curiosity has been aroused. "Usually, the best way is to find out the manufacturer, and discover it that way."
"A friend bought it from a trader who disappeared not much later," Alejandra answers. "Not a sign of him since then... the trader, that is." She shrugs, a light and unconcerned motion. "The rest of the world will just have to suffer without, I suppose. Maybe if I ever meet someone who has the same, we can compare notes."
Darren chuckles lightly, "I guess. It's still a fascinating thing though." He stretches easily, offering a wry smile, "I simply dislike not knowing something, it tends to be like an itch one cannot scratch."
Laughter colors Alejandra's voice, "I hope you're okay with not knowing. I can make them disappear if you'd like?"
Darren chuckles lightly: he winks towards you, "It's something to puzzle over. I'll figure it out or not, eventually. It's quite all right." He leans back, considering, then shrugs his shoulders towards you.
"So what brought you here to the City," Alejandra asks curiously, head tipping to the side a little, as if to see him from a new angle. "was it just that you heard so much about the Academy?" She's sitting in one of the more comfortable arm-chairs, gaze and attention on an also seated Darren.
"Well, mostly, as I said, Tolkeen's reputation. First, it's a place to learn and teach." Darren, as he speaks, lifts a finger, "Second, it's got a good reputation for fairness, much better than some other cities of its size." The man leans back, lifting a last finger, "Third, it seems to me that it needs able people, with all the problems with the Coalition. Thus..." He shrugs easily, "I am here. Simple enough, when you get down to it."
Her expression twists oddly at the mention of fairness. But it's gone a heartbeat later, perhaps never there to begin with. "All good reasons," Alejandra agrees. "Are you planning on picking up work at the quad-schools, or trying for the private students up north?"
Darren shakes his head, "The quad-schools. I'm not fond of private tutoring in most circumstances, I prefer working with many." He cants his head to the side: perhaps he's more perceptive to emotional changes than one might think, considering how he looks. "Is there something wrong? For a moment, you looked discomfited."
Alejandra makes a small, dismissive motion. "No, no, nothing's wrong." She doesn't look the least bit inclined to discuss the matter. "Why do you work with kids?" Sincere curiosity colors this question. "I don't get along with them myself... no patience."
Darren shrugs, lightly: he considers, "Think of it like this. You build everything on something else. The future is built in the minds of the children. It's an important task, and something I tend to be good at, and enjoy."
Alejandra just stares for a long moment at Darren, her expression arrested. Finally she stirs, "You know... I never thought of it like that." The tone is musing, something about the idea catching. A slow nod is given before a bright smile shows up. "Thanks, I'll have to keep that one in mind."
"Hmm. You're welcome...that's why the important thing for the future is to teach...and defend those children." Darren's lips quirk, "That's why I think even the Coalition has hope. Watch a child from the Coalition. They're scared, sometimes, but they sit...they /play/. They've feelings. If only...well, something could be done, they would change the Coalition themselves." He shrugs, lightly. "The trick is doing it, of course."
Alejandra's voice is cool all of a sudden. "You'd better watch how you talk about that sort of thing here. The Coalition isn't well thought of, and most would rather wipe it from the face of the planet than try to change it." By her, perhaps?
Darren shakes his head slowly: he murmurs, "Would you? Even the children? I'm not saying that Coalition is a good place-- it isn't. I'm saying that it's only through the children can change really take place. By 'wiping it from the face of the planet', think of the children without parents."
Alejandra leans forward, eyes narrowed. "Yes, think of the children without parents. Think of children who won't grow up believing the hatred their parents are force-feeding them every single second they're still alive." Yep. Definitely not a light topic. "Think of children who're even now dreaming of joining the great fight against the evil monsters and demons that live inside these very walls."
Darren shakes his head, slowly: he sighs, softly, "You're thinking in black and white. Do you really think the average citizen thinks like that? They're too busy living their lives to worry about such things." His gaze meets yours, "I am not saying they are 'good people'. I am saying that by talking of 'wiping them from the face of the earth', you are sliding too far. What is the use of stopping a people, if you become as they are, Alejandra?" Darren's brow rises, slowly. "What is the use, in standing for what is right, what is just, if in the process, you fall from that state?"
Alejandra points out quietly, "I never said anything about standing for what's right and just, Darren. When they attack and we defend, killing them, every single one of those soldiers has a friend, family, back at home. Friend and family who'll take up a weapon and attack us /again/, if only to avenge that dead soldier. In the end, what else can be done but kill them all to stop it?" She makes a curt motion. "Which is all beside the point. If you plan on keeping alive here, just be careful what you say. How /I/ feel is nothing at all compared to some."
Shaking his head, slightly: he smiles wryly. First, he answers the latter, "I'm usually careful who I talk to, for one. For the second...of /course/ there's always children who are harmed in war. The difference is degree, the difference is methods. The difference is ... the grey line, one might say. Sometimes, you have to do bad things. Sometimes, you have to fight, or kill, and take the burden for that killing, upon your soul." The man's smile turns briefly sad, before he shrugs, leaning back, "A lot can and is being done, Alejandra. In the end, war is not stopped by killing all the enemy. It's done via a war of ideas. It's ended up here." He taps his forehead, "No war is ended simply by killing everyone who opposes you. They always come back."
"Go tell /them/ that," Alejandra snaps out, temper flaring just that easily. "/We/ didn't go after them, forcing them down into caves in the ground, surrounded by d-bees who'd have killed as as easily as they helped us, given the chance. /We/ didn't come visiting just to gut anyone who looked different."
Darren shakes his head, and says simply, "No, you did not. But think about it, Alejandra. There will come a time when they go away. Will you take the battle to them, then? And what if you win? What if you defeat them? What will you do, then?" He sighs, softly, "Hatred, anger, they are easy to hold onto, but they control you."
Her accent, normally just a hint in her voice, thickens the tone a bit. "Oh, they'll go 'way," Alejandra agrees. "Only t'regroup'n attack 'gain, this time harder'n faster'n before." The fury lends itself to her looks, color in her cheeks and glint to her eyes. "You can talk t'me 'bout hatred'n anger when you've been buried 'live waiting fer a Co'lition soldier to find you'n slice yer throat." By now, her volume has risen, gathering glances from the few patrons also in the coffee shop.
Darren sighs, softly: he murmurs, quietly, shaking his head as he glances around, briefly, then murmurs, "I've seen the brutality. And so, you preach 'kill them all'. Kill the parents? Kill the civilians, as they do to you? When is an enemy 'beat', Alejandra? Think of this. What good is victory, if you become that which you hate?" His own voice is quiet, and calm. "The Coalition can, and will be stopped. But it must be done in a way that preserves who people are. It must be done with the heart, not just with might. Calm down, Alejandra. I am not your enemy. I have never been your enemy."
Black curls swirl around her as she rises to her feet, glaring down at the man. "They'll be beat when they aren't 'round t'preach their hatred t'anyone else, when they're not here t'ttack people who've done nothin' but go about their own bus'ness." Nope, doesn't look like Alejandra is calmed down at all. "There's a whole lot I try real hard not t'r'member 'bout th'siege, and /I'm/ onna th'lucky ones. So go preach yer fuckin' happiness'n light t'someone else." And with that, she's turning on her heel to stalk away towards the door.
Darren sighs, softly, and shakes his head; he cants his head to the side, "Not light, and not happyness." His voice is wry, as the woman stalks out. Shaking his head, he turns, not to follow, but to leave as well, shaking his head. He sounds ... sad. However, he doesn't attempt to interrupt the woman, or detain her.
Back to the Archives
Back to Main Page