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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2021 17:45:30 GMT -8
Sometimes the most coincidental meetings provided opportunity, if not in the moment as the road was travelled. Life was very Tolkien-esque in that way, though there were times Archie was left to wonder if dwarves would sound like they were from Alabama if not for Peter Jackson going full Scot on Gimli. However, that was a debate for a different day. The job at hand was far more important, and thus was to be discussed in the Sweet Tomato Diner over breakfast. The Arch-man was seated in a comfortable little booth in the corner, windows behind and beside him, dressed wonderfully of course. A black collared shirt, with sleeves rolled up and speckles of yellow all across like tiny flecks of paint, all brought together by a diagonally striped yellow and black tie, tucked into khaki slacks (matching jacket hung on the hook on the side of the booth), and a pair of brogue’s that were a deep red on the tipped and faded into a light brown towards the heel. His Apple watched buzzing every few minutes with some notification which he largely ignored. Due to the current climate of the freehold at large, and some timely advice from a Summer courtier, something had clicked with the Fairest. If there was going to be any hope of braving what was coming it wasn’t going to be done alone. So what that meant was that networking was needed. A bloc always had a better time negotiating at the table. Sure it meant double the workload half mortal, half magical, but what could you do? Currently he was waiting for two things, Linden and Pancakes. Linden |
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Linden
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Post by Linden on Jan 31, 2021 12:01:32 GMT -8
The ringing of the bell above the door echoed in Linden's mantle, rough and distant. It had been a nice morning for the Ogre so far, a combination of relaxation and curiosity. Hair still damp from a shower, they paused inside the door and scanned the room for Archie; they'd only met the man once, but he was easy enough to recognize. Not a lot of folks had flare like that. Raising a hand in greeting, they stopped at the counter to put in an order before coming over to join him with coffee in hand. In a pair of black jeans and a hoody that had clearly had its sleeves manually removed, they didn't quite match the visual language of their dining companion but it didn't seem to phase them. The rolled sleeves of a t-shirt were just visible, arms bare as they sank into the other side of the booth. Swapping the coffee cup to their nondominant hand, Linden gave Archie a smile and reached out to shake. "Good to see you again, Archie. How've things been treating you?"Making themself comfortable, they unzipped the hoody just enough for the wash-faded words at the top of their shirt to be visible. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2021 23:15:21 GMT -8
Archie threw up a wave of course, and even shot his dangerous pair of finger guns as a hello from across the room, showing that he was chipper as ever. At least at surface level the Fairest was in fine spirits, and didn’t seem to have let any of the possible downers in the city get to him. That was the joy of the Verdant Court though, not only see the better future but live it too. The ogre’s hand was taken and Archie gave the firmest grip that he could which was far from anything daunting, but sturdy enough to show that the Emerald actually knew how to shake a hand. No wet fish here. “Linden, it's been a spell, hasn’t it? Love the shirt, screams moods, especially when people get too big for their britches. Do you know what it's like when some twenty something thinks they are already the next big thing? They think just because I came and got them on a contract that I there to be pushed around. They don’t seem to realize that I am there to put the rails on to make sure that they don’t go and putz it all up. Sometimes people need to realize the power that an editor has in both writing and society. That is why the Harry Potter books got to be too much for me - the editors let it fall off the rails.”
He was sliding back into his seat. “Rambling, that is what that is - but your shirt, again, mood when people assume the status quo and they assume it wrong - amiright?”
He laughed as he motioned to the menu that had been left nice and tidy for Linden to have a look over while they supped their coffee. “Anyway, I figured the pancakes were good enough to justify a return visit and didn’t have to worry about getting here and finding parking. How have you been? Staying out of trouble I hope?”
Strong King - ArchieToday at 11:02 PM Tomato's Revenge Cupids Arrow Whatever could Linden desire? saeyer Manipulation + Empathy + Mantle @dicecord-CoD roll 7 and tap into that Spring spirit! Dicecord-CoD BOT Today at 11:02 PM @strong King - Archie rolled 7 dice and got 1 success. 10(1) 6 2 1 1 2 2 |
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Linden
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Post by Linden on Feb 4, 2021 15:51:57 GMT -8
The initial ramble slid off of Linden like water, aside from making them glance quickly down at their shirt. It hadn't occurred to them that it would register, let alone resonate; they found themself mildly embarrassed, having not put nearly that much thought into it. Hiding their mouth behind the coffee cup as they weren't sure what sort of face to make, they settled for returning one of his previous fingerguns before letting him direct their attention to the menu.
"Oh, I'm..." They trailed off, staring at the menu before snapping their attention back to Archie. "I mean, objectively, I cannot seem to stay out of trouble." Lowering the mug, a rueful smile stretched their lips and they laughed, lest the tone feel too serious. "But that's good! Who needs a bouncer if no one's making trouble."
"Speaking of...?" They left the sentence hanging, hoping Archie would pick it up, curious eyes on him.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2021 23:28:49 GMT -8
Between bites of his pancakes Archie raised a hand in punctuation, then a signal he needed a moment, then waggled his finger about at the talk of all the trouble.
“Right! Oh my goodness, right? Trouble is putting it lightly. I have managed to shake most of the nonsense off but I can feel it right on my heels. Now let me say I am no bouncer so color me a touch concerned about how trouble may find me but I have to hope I can find a way around it. Either way things are not exactly getting better day by day - and whether we can pin it down to something specific is a whole other issue.”
Archie had his own view on that. But he wouldn’t put on his tinfoil hat without prompting.
He smiled and raised a coffee cup to cheer that trouble was around and they had their own ways of dealing with trouble however it may find them. Soon though, Archie was given the tell tale sign that it was time to move the conversation forward, and he would seize on that.
“Now trouble is actually the reason I figured we could have a little pow wow and talk about how deep we think the rabbit hole is going to go. More importantly how I feel like it may be worth talking about how we can help one another as things seem to be growing more dour day by day. Never too early to think ahead.”
He nodded his head and tipped his mug towards Linden.
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Linden
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Post by Linden on Feb 7, 2021 13:22:12 GMT -8
Archie's own talk of trouble certainly piqued Linden's interest, curious as to whether the issues were familiar or new, and exciting. After taking a brief moment to check in with the waitress, the Ogre leaned their elbows on the table and regarded the Spring. "You have my attention," they admitted. "And agreed, never too early."
They wanted to ask for more specifics, but it wasn't the place. For now they would have to be satisfied with speaking in generalities and knowing there would be more explicit talks later. "What did you have in mind?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2021 18:11:52 GMT -8
What did he have in mind, it was time to make the basic pitch.
“An agreement, a formal one - if you catch my drift. I have recently been faced with situations where I may be inthe presence of ruffians and I have about as much ability to bounce as I do at jumping in general - none. Musing one it, I remembered having met a capable bouncer of sorts, and thus here we are.”
“But everything is a two way street. My prowess is in the art of the deal - don’t let pop culture jokes ruin that term for you - and I am quite good at executing that. I am very willing to exchange that service, one people pay top dollar for. “
“I am also more than happy to cook the books, so to speak, for this side work. I can pay - cash, and take care of all the icky tax stuff on the back end. Consider that part a signing bonus on top of the more community guidelines part of it all.”
An exchange of flexing in their preferred arena’s in the name of one another. Not a major commitment, or a tie that bound them at the hip. Simply work, but with the wyrd involved.
Queue bite o’ pancake
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Linden
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Post by Linden on Feb 9, 2021 21:49:47 GMT -8
Breaking into their own meal, an omelet half covered in a mound of hash, Linden listened thoughtfully. The first time they had met, they realized, they had only thought of Archie's powers of negotiation in terms of his mortal vocation; in those terms, it was still hard to think of how that might fit into their life. They liked where they were well enough that the grind was just a minor setback.
But on the Lost end of things, it was much more appealing. While the Ogre preferred a straightforward approach in almost all things, it was undeniable that sometimes subtlety, or gentle bending of the truth, was helpful. Unfortunately it was that same knowledge that made them a little wary, feeling at a slight disadvantage to the Fairest's superior grasp on all forms of talking.
As Archie punctuated his offer with a bite of breakfast, Linden reached for the salt. "I like the sound of a mutual agreement, prefer not to muddy it up with money. No offense," they added, dispersing the salt without much care to its evenness. "It's a generous offer, just-" A shrug of the mouth turned into a faint smile, and they left it at that.
"Service for service. I'm in, pending a bit more information on your ruffians. Gotta make sure I know what I'm getting into."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2021 22:52:00 GMT -8
This Ogre was cool as a goddamn cucumber. Some real Clint Eastwood stuff. Archie was getting intense The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly vibes, and Linden was the one with the Poncho so Arch went along with what was said at face value. “Fair, fair, the Wyrd works in mysterious ways. I’m not going to force any issue here.”
Archie leaned in listening, ignoring the syrupy mess that was his pancakes for the moment. It seemed the Ogre had an interest in knowing what trouble they may run into which was a completely legitimate concern. Talking them out of a parking ticket didn’t mean much if they were fighting the entirety of the Yakuza. “Also fair! And I wish I could tell you more. The last scare I had was some punk walking into my office trying to tell me he could hook me up with Coachella type shit and I was thrown off. Being honest, a bit of Glamour later and I find he is connected to gang bangers and I am not equipped to deal with any of this. My speciality is talking around conflict, and turning it off - but if fists are thrown I don’t have much of a chance.”
A shrug and pursed lips, honestly admitting that there wasn’t much on specifics. “I just don’t see life getting any quieter in the short term and I don’t want to be caught in a situation where I don’t have someone who can help me out. Now I know we could just sit down, shoot the shit, and agree to call if something comes up - but, I am a person who lives and dies by their agreements, more so than just the fairer part of me. Call it a quirk but my life is pretty much business. It's hard not to make things official in some capacity. So today, some gang bangers, tomorrow I may be talking hedge dive, and who knows? Does that make any sense or am I babbling?”
Strong King - ArchieToday at 10:36 PM
Tomato's Revenge
Linden as cool as Linden seem?
Wits + Empathy
@dicecord-CoD roll 5
Dicecord-CoD
BOT
Today at 10:36 PM
@strong King - Archie rolled 5 dice and got 0 successes. 1 4 2 7 3
@strong King - Archie, I hope that wasn't an important roll ... |
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Post by Linden on Feb 10, 2021 18:16:08 GMT -8
"It makes sense," they assured him, pausing with a bit of omelet resting on their fork. "Like an insurance policy. Future problems." Chewing thoughtfully, it took them a moment to continue. "And, yeah, you're right: I don't imagine things are going to get quieter either. Nothing ever seems to, really."
Reaching for their mug, Linden studied Archie for a moment too long for the look to be anything other than searching. "I'll come when you need me; but I need you to tell me the truth, about why I'm there. And we should have the ability to say no to each other, if it conflicts with our morals. We, I, won't know that we've asked too much until it's happened."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2021 0:38:21 GMT -8
“Bingo, hitting the nail on the head with that one, Insurance policy, as kind of mobster and callous it sounds but I mean i can’t argue that the analogy is pretty much on point about that. I am also glad that someone else can see what is going on, I thought I was taking crazy pills about this whole…”
He made a circular motion with his arms,
“Life, thing”
Linden eyed the Arch man up.
“Keeping it 100? You and me? I’m terrified. It isn’t like we live in the safest community. Besides the monsters under the bed being real that's enough to give you some fierce anxiety. Pepto Bismol may as well be my drink of choice for all the heart burn it causes me. Add real mundie garbage onto the pile and it's just too much for me to feel excited about dealing with it. I’ve had a goddamn swastika spray painted on my car in the past and that scared me senseless but now dealing with problems? Nu uh, not alone. Not expecting to go raiding the FBI, just want someone who can scrap a bit, and I wasn’t lying when I said I remembered meeting a bouncer.”
“And I’m not some psychopath I promise. Personal Oath of Protection, self defense, no violations of personal morals. Play it by ear but know that your back is got if you aren’t asking for it”
Archie seemed quick to agree to the terms, no real issue with them really, more than reasonable.
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Linden
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Post by Linden on Feb 11, 2021 20:28:26 GMT -8
"Didn't mean to imply you were," Linden amended after Archie's assurance that he wasn't a psychopath. Perhaps the stipulation about morals had been too much, by polite standards, but they weren't about to promise them away. "Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."
"And," they continued, "It sounds like we are. When you need someone to watch your back, I'll be ready." The Ogre smiled warmly, honestly pleased to be in this position; it was who they wanted to be, even if they were just getting by on the skin of their teeth. The scars on their face pulled, less suited to the expression than they would like, highlighting the premature weather done by mundane and fae dangers alike.
"Sorry about the swastika on your car, that's fucked."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2021 20:54:25 GMT -8
There was deep breath form the Fairest as he leaned back against the bench and glanced over the table with a soft smile.
“Just wanted to be well...open about it. I have heard stories of just how far down the rabbit hole some people are in the community, and it gets real dark real fast. This isn’t something I would normally even consider, but our lives aren’t normal nor do they stay normal for long do they?”
A genuine chuckle has he laughed at the literal futility of the life of Lost in trying to fight the Wyrd.
“But hey...Thank you Linden, know that the same goes for you when I can. This goes both ways.”
You don’t fuck with the Wyrd, so if Archie promised it was two ways you made sure it went two ways.
“Welcome to being Jewish in America - if you don’t get your shit graffitied are you even doing things right? You have to have some level of success for people to want to target you for some hate speech...or paint in this case. But it's that sense of having a target on your back that really screws with your head, and lately I have just been feeling the need to check over my shoulder a bit more.”
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Post by Linden on Feb 13, 2021 12:29:50 GMT -8
They appreciated that his offer had forefronted reciprocation from the beginning, and the reiteration was answered with a deep nod. "We'll be quite the pair." Another quick grin, mostly at the outside unlikeliness of their partnership, and they were back at the omelet.
"I get that... not in the same way, right, but being trans in a conservative town sort of conditioned me to expect the worst from people." The mention of their identity was blunt and offhand, Linden's eyes meeting his as if they had simply commented on the coffee. "If you have that kind of trouble again, lemme know. Sometimes I need a bit of a work out." They delicately speared a potato and ate it.
"The next time you feel yourself looking, give me a ring."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2021 0:15:17 GMT -8
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