[Wirecutters] Building Bridges

The Viper's smile remained, her mind unaware of Yuan's true purpose as his contract wormed easily past Aster's mind. The Playmate could easily discern that Aster's mind was quite sound, in fact she didn't appear to be struggling with anything at all for the moment that would make Yuan question the state of her lucidity.


The self-assurred, borderline cocky statement resulted in a raised eyebrow from Aster, though she offered nothing more. 

"I was told to get out of my hole," she answered, "Heard Watchtower was playing. Figured what the hell?"

A hand dipped into Aster's coat pocket retrieving a cigarette pack and a lighter. About to light up, she remembered herself as serpentine eyes looked back to Yuan.

"Shit, you don't mind do you?" she asked, her hands moving to highlight she was talking about her cigarette.

The serpent's hand was already moving to her jacket pocket once Yuan affirmed he was cool with her smoking, but stopped short when the Playmate produced a flame of his own. With a shrug and a half smirk, the Venombite leaned forward, lighting the stick with a puff and relaxing with her back on the wall.

The comment regarding her landlord elicits a laugh from Aster, though the reason is two-pronged. On the one hand, it implied Yuan had a fear related to herself, on the other, he wasn't entirely wrong about Luisa.

"I scare ya that much, huh?" she teased, the tone light with jest as she granted the feathered Beast a wink, "And, back in the day, no you probably wouldn't have wanted to meet her in those circumstances... Time has a way of mellowing people out, though."

So do kids.

"She means well," Aster said, "I haven't really been out since, well... Chico."

Aster would leave it at that, clearing her throat as her brain wracked to a new subject. When Yuan changes gears to Watchtower she seems grateful.

"I've only heard some of their stuff," Aster answers, "Think gothic rock. Some folks have compared them to Evanesence? Seem to be mostly local. The Oath doesn't really make a big range easy. They've done a few songs tonight so far."

Las Vegas' securities had a cost and that meant traveling far and wide was a less attractive option, particularly if any among them had a Keeper who had long been interested in breaching the wards.

"Either way, gives me an excuse to pop down here," she continued, "Let myself be seen and what not."

"I need to be," she responded simply to the compliment of her seeming determination, the shrug seemed to brush it off. Far as Aster was concerned she wasn't anything impressive, she just had a rigid view.

The concept of life having inherent meaning elicits a chuckle, the end of which was underlain with some bitterness.

"Life doesn't mean shit, not on its own. We're proof of that. Stolen away to dance in someone else's story and all... Though we got away so I guess that has some value," she mused, taking a deep puff as she stared absently at the stage for a moment as her look softened, the aloof serpentine slipping into a rare philosophical, "Haven't been one for books and philosophy and shit since I got back, but the way I see it? Life's only got meaning when you want it to. A light's useless unless it's burning, you know? Some want to Heal, some want to Remember, some want to Know, and some want Duty. All of it's pushed by the same things. We gotta make our own stories."

The Viper's eyes slipped back to the feathered Playmate.

"Living ain't the same thing as having a Purpose," she concluded, "Only thing really stopping you from kicking back and slipping downstream like is you. Most folks don't though, they fall in and get comfortable."

Confident her point was made, Aster slipped out of her philosophical rant and granted Yuan a smirk.

"Thanks, not sure how happy you can be since we just sorta met, but I'll take the goodwill regardless," she said, "Can't promise it'll be a regular thing. I like a little moderation now and then and I'm getting the feeling I need to prepare."

Then a gesture to the stage.

"Stick around, they've been doing a few songs so far off and on. Am sure they'll keep it going," she offered. "Not much of a singer, so its better just to listen for Cailleagh's crooning."

"So you make a habit of approaching impressive women in alleys or...?" she asked, the smile revealing her jest. Still, she was curious as to why Yuan chose to approach her of all people. "If you're looking for a bruiser, I'll be upfront and say I ain't here to look for work."

Aster afforded the glance to the Playmate granting a nod as he granted his approval of her position. The Viper knew her views were seen as more along the hardline than others, but she didn't see the reasoning in dressing up the truth.

Each among the Lost had been torn from the path afforded to them by their mortality due to the actions of the Gentry. Their Return only meant that each was tasked with beginning their story anew. And a story without a purpose was a poor one indeed.

She offered a smile at the Spring's exuberance. Yuan had an infectious nature and it was hard not to be happy for him, even if the moment was small.

As the conversation turns to back to business and Yuan's assumption of Aster's choice of gigs, the survivor shrugged. "Bruisin' can be more than that. Usually it ain't about protecting anything," she said, "Those are good days when they are. More people want to send a message than guard something precious. Good to know you've learned to handle yourself though. Everyone should."

The tail end of Aster's words hung heavier than she would have liked, tinged with some sadness as her mind inevitably glimpsed into the past. The stare was long, as her vivid, serpentine eyes bore into Yuan, hoping he understood.

"Friends aren't something chosen easily," Aster admitted, "but I'm willing to call us colleagues. So long as we see eye to eye, I don't think we'll have problems. Need to see our interests align and all that before that can grow to something else."

What else could anyone expect from someone who has already lost so much?

"I can agree with that," she said to the comment of helping one another, "but, if it ain't Freehold business and don't align with my duty, don't expect anything from me for free."

If the statement sounded guarded, it's because it was. So many people were skilled in the art of offering pretty words, Aster wasn't really among them, but she had been in the game long enough to know people could easily take advantage of goodwill. Thus, it was important that this Beast, attractive and kind as he may be, understood that Aster bore little interest in assisting his personal endeavors without compensation if they did not sync up with her own.

Aster nodded as Yuan accepted her view. The pair were not friends. Not yet.

"Vigilance has a way of keeping people alive, even if they chafe sometimes," she said. Hardline defenses were not without their naysayers, but if they worked why did that matter? "It's not always enough, but, well... that's a road best traveled only if you have to."

As Yuan looked over Serpent, he would find many tics. In line with her hardline statements on life and titles of friendship, it was clear Aster was not a happy person and, after a fashion, distrusting. However, none of the Beast's quiet bitterness seemed to be personally directed at Yuan himself. In fact, the Venombite seemed to be enjoying his company in her own way, given her willingness to engage. She was prickly, but civil.

"So what do you like to do for fun, Yuan? Any hobbies?" the Serpent asked. The phrasing was somewhat awkward, but given the Venombite's aloof reputation it was not altogether surprising. She seemed willing to push the conversation further, but she was unsure how she should do so.

"You been making waves?" Aster asked. It seemed likely to the Beast if people bore an interest in getting to know the Playmate. Most people had an agenda. "Makes sense, I never got the guns thing. Guess I either couldn't wrap my head around it or I just didn't want to... Getting up close and personal just feels better."

"To be honest, I don't usually care for these kind of things. The noise gets to me after a while," she said giving a nod in the direction of Prasad and others keeping the peace, "Sometimes it feels like I should be working instead, you know? But, hey, if good company keeps coming 'round, maybe it'll grow on me."

Perhaps surprisingly, the question of whether or not Aster could provide any promising locales for new hobbies elicited a look of genuine surprise and then a bright laugh.

"Now I've seen everything... a Spring asking me for info on the best places to hit up," she joked, "Eh, that's gonna be a 'no' from me, boss. Don't know shit about clubs or hobby groups. Haven't gone out of my hole much since I got here from Chico and that was two years ago."

"Mostly I tinker with cars in my garage," the Serpent offers, believing it is only fair to share some of her hobbies when Yuan had already done so, "Sometimes people in the Freehold will stop by when they got a problem and can't afford to go with a mechanic. I'm no Wizened, but I know a little bit and the occasional free beer is a nice kick back... I'd probably go to more car shows if I had something more impressive, but my ride isn't anything special. Other than that? I like the gym I guess. Might take up climbing or swimming. And I spar, either grappling or just a good brawl usually."

"Only thing that matters in a fight is the then and now," she explains, "Probably why I like it. The rest just falls away. Just me, instinct, and what I've been shaped to be. Similar to why you like all this in a way."

The doubling back on the recovering addict took Aster a bit by surprised and she appeared slightly confused as to exactly what Yuan was asking for. Was he asking for tips on places to go for him or his friend?  Aster could be clever, but subtleties were often lost on the Venombite.

"You're looking for good places for your friend? Something to keep them from diving back into old habits?" she asked, pushing out her questions directly in an attempt to pick up on what the Playmate was after, "If I'm honest, I don't know, man. Managing people with those kind of issues ain't exactly something I'm good at. Might be better to hit up someone in the Bishops or maybe... that Winter with the hostel? Alvarez I think is her name. They can probably find some program or whatever."

Aster wasn't about to try and step in to champion herself as an expert on rehabilitation and, as far as she could tell, that seemed to be what Yuan was after. If she chose to do so, she'd likely fail and, frankly, Aster wasn't ready to face the guilt for that kind of failure when things fell apart. There were people in the Freehold for that. Good people. Aster just wasn't one of them.

There was a chuckle.

"Don't do it for money," she said in regards to her hobby of fixing cars, "I usually ask people to pay for parts, but I ain't out to gouge for labor. In exchange, I ask folks to take big projects to the shops here in town. I'm a mechanic on the side. I'll help where and when I can, but I got other responsibilities."

"Not after financing either," she added, "Ain't about to put myself in debt to people I don't know, Lost or otherwise. My truck runs just fine and the car isn't something I need."