Scene #752: Given a Chance

Owner	Pose
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine isn't sure why he's doing this. Normally, he doesn't give criminal scum the time of day, but something about this set of circumstances just doesn't add up to him. He's at a disadvantage here without his Investigation Suite, but Exalted are heroes with or without their charms. He might be a thug, but he's also a damned good investigator. And any good investigator has a nose for things that stink. Why would Taylor lie to Armsmaster about being a hero if she displays such clear care for others as to ask about /his/ well-being on a neutral channel? He thinks maybe she was telling the truth--that Armsmaster's lie-detecting charm worked, and that this villain thing is some kind of elaborate ruse. But why? What could she hope to gain by gallivanting around with a bunch of glorified hooligans? He raps his knucles against the bar, the bug bites on his skin slowly healing as he does so.
Taylor Hebert	Not long after she agreed to meet Bitter Medicine, Taylor somehow worked her way through a warpgate to the Bar and Grill. She was dressed in her full 'Skitter' (her new codename, chosen spontaneously) outfit, black silk-armored bodysuit with a mask out of even more silk with mandibles protecting the jaw and a pair of goggle lens for the eyes, her long brown hair loose behind the mask. She's not old enough to be at a bar, but no one probably cares. She's in a suit! She moves up next to Bitter Medicine, recognizing him from meeting him twice before. Her first reaction is to look and comment at his knuckles. "Oh, you're a healer. That's good...are you actually from our world? This whole 'Multiverse' concept isn't..new, but at the same time, it is."
Cecily	The Bar and Grill is hopping tonight. As much as more people coming through the door can be said as 'hopping' anyway. Not long after Bitter Medicine enters does Cecily join him. She glances about and makes her way towards one of the tables. The barefoot vixen stays within earshot of the 'secret meeting', however, though her sharp vulpine ears make it easier to keep a greater distance. Even she seems surprised at how many menus and the variety of their goods, though.
Bitter Medicine	"So you escaped to a different world." He grunts. Armsmaster had wanted knowledge of the Multiverse confined to the PRT, but it looks like that's not going to happen. "No, I'm not. My world is very, very different from yours." He turns and faces Skitter, assessing her. His eyes are hard and uncompromising, cold as the silver of his badge. 'Regulator,' it reads. "I'm giving you the chance to explain yourself because I personally don't believe you're a villain. Whatever you might say to the contrary, your story and your actions don't add up. So," he says. "Have a seat." The Alchemical gestures to the stools in front of the bar, taking one himself.
Ahri	Busy? The Bar and Grill is always busy! To prove this further, another 'vixen' makes her way past the entrance and further into the restraunt. A long look across the restraunt is taken in by Ahri before she slips toward a table. It's on her way that she catches sight of Cecily, a smile finding its way across her features as she moves to join her. "Cecily! It's wondeful to see you again."
Taylor Hebert	Skitter takes the seat next to Bitter Medicine, resting her hands on the bar. She doesn't order anything; hard to drink with her mask, and all she'd order is water anyways. Her tone is as quiet as she can make it, though that probably won't stop animal ears from picking her words up. "I'm /not/ a villain." Skitter puts one hand on the other, a sort of..anxiousness to it. "No one's been able to catch these guys. But..they thought I was a villain, and offered me an invite to their group. I..took it, when I learned that not even they knew who their employer was. They were a group of four teenagers being paid a large sum of money just for being together.". She takes a breath, now actually hoping she /could/ drink some water. "The bank robbery was a special job their boss requested. I thought..if I stayed long enough, I could learn his identity, and then turn it over to the PRT. I had to..think of something earlier, when you were calling me out. Thought my cover was almost busted."
Cecily	Cecily is doing her best to listen to Bitter Medicine and Taylor, but she soon finds herself lost in the menus. "...wait... no... so the appetizers have appetizrs... but menu 21-A is aperetifs for menu... 14-C?" The fox is utterly bewildered, and starts looking through the menus for. "Oh... here it is.." She opens a trifold and stares at a flowchart. The outburst of a familiar voice earns a perk of ears, and she smiles broadly when Ahri joins her. "Ah! Ahri! Wonderful to see you, dear. I haven't.. ordered yet.." she chews on her lower lip, still trying to navigate the sea of menus. "...I wonder if there's just a dataport I can plug into...."
Ahri	With such a welcoming tone, Ahri's quick to slip right into a seat at the table Cecily was at. "Oooh, they gave you the -big- menu, didn't they?" Ahri asks, glancing around before waiving down a waiter. "Can we get the summarized abridged menu?" A nod and the waiter dashes off. He'd return with a menu that is pictures. Nothing more. The kumiho takes one and offers the other one to Cecily, "I think this one is a lot more simple."
Bitter Medicine	Hrn. He wonders how Armsmaster is going to react to this? It makes things more complicated, and the both of them tend to dislike that, so he's going to say 'badly.' If he even believes it at all. "Do you have any proof to substantiate your claims?" It's an unusually long sentence for the dour Soulsteel caste, one which smells of formality. "Any hints at all as to the true identity of the employer? Aliases? Methods of operation? Peculiarities?" It's an exhaustive list, but that's because people who flat out don't want to be found take an exhaustive amount of precautions to stay that outcome. "Why didn't you let Armsmaster know your plan when you had the chance?"
Staren	Staren strides out of the warpgate. Mysteries, mysteries, they have him curious. He doesn't know this 'Skitter' and whether he should be sympathetic... He's not sure where he stands with Bitter Medicine, but the exalt seemed to think more highly of him after he revealed that he has a lot of dots in Compassion. He's in his usual clothes, and makes his way towards the bar when he spies Bitter Medicine. He hesitates, though, when he remembers that Skitter asked to talk to him in private. So he just radios, without any outward sign: <<Is this a bad time?>>
Cecily	"It's the one that was sitting here..." Cecily says quietly, ears wilting. She scoots closer to Ahri and lays her head on the other fox's shoulder, her tails idly tangling with her friend's. "...and I adore cooking, but this is a little ridiculous... I'd love to meet the chefs here." When the picture menu comes, she seems to relax a little. Sure she's a librarian, and she loves books, and she loves reading. But sometimes... "Oh, some jojos would be a good start."
Ahri	"Aw, I was just trying to give you a tip, Cecily, that's all," Ahri replies, setting her menu down on the table. She'd start flipping through it a moment later, "Jojos..?" there's a LOT of things in the menu she's never even seen before. "I think I've had something different every time I've been here," she notes, pageflipping. Don't mind her, Ms. Librarian. She can read. Really. Surely the abridged menu is just simpler to browse! Surely....
Taylor Hebert	"He has a lot of money. And resources. That he's willing to spend on us. That's..all I know. But..the robbery went off successfully. He'll trust us now. After the next request..hopefully we'll know who he is." Skitter brushes her hair back with her left hand. She's nervous, not just about Bitter Medicine, but about how public the place is. Anyone could hear her. She's from a place where identity is one of the most important things to keep secret. "I wasn't invited until the next day. And I only wanted to contact Armsmaster, since he knew who I was..but I had trouble doing so. The heist was just sprung on us. We didn't want to take it..too risky. But there was a lot of money, and then the trust. The former brought the rest of the group to a 3-1..and the latter brought me to a 4-1 vote." "If you tell him this..that's fine. I was going to. But don't let the public know. The Undersiders, well, the one with the dogs, Bitch, would probably kill me. And then my dad, if she's angry enough. They know my identity."
Staren	Staren's ears twitch and he looks over at the two... foxgirls, there are two foxgirls here. "They have /everything/. Just say what you want, don't worry about menus. I like the seafood, myself."
Cecily	"Hello, dear," Cecily smiles when Staren speaks up. She's familiar with the genuscatthingperson. She leans a little more on Ahri though, pointing at the menu in her companion's hands. "Those. Jojos." It's a picture of seasoned, fried potato wedges. "An order of those to start... and.." she glances back at Staren. "I know they have everything...and I can cook just about anything. But I find menu-browsing to be rather... relaxing. Except here."
Bitter Medicine	Armsmaster claims that Skitter is a master manipulator and liar. If that's true, the image of a frightened teenager in front of his eyes is one skillfully created. Her situation is dangerous, but also convenient. It allows her to have an easy excuse to keep on committing crimes in the form of Bitch. "Bitch? You mean Hellhound," he says. That's what Armsmaster introduced her as, isn't it? He doesn't doubt she had trouble contacting Armsmaster, if she did indeed try. He seems to have status befitting a notable Alchemical, which means getting in touch with him likely involves navigating a maze of sycophants, coat-tail riders and bureaucrats. The Alchemical grunts brusquely, then drags his gloved hand over his nose, pretending to scratch it. <<Yes.>> "Suppose I make you a deal."
Ahri	A little laugh escapes Ahri, "Ooooh, sure! I'll try anything, usually." Her eyes glance up from the menu to Staren, "Oh, hello! And yeah, you can do that, but looking at the menu can give you ideas you wouldn't think of otherwise," she points out before glancing back down again, "Hmm, what else.." The Not-At-All-A-Kitsune doesn't seem to mind the leaning in Cecily. "Oh, there's a thought. They probably have a LOT of different kinds of tea, Cecily."
Taylor Hebert	"She prefers to be called Bitch. I..don't think she's that bad. She's a murderer, but it was when her power first manifested. She couldn't control it. But..she's angry enough. Attacked me when they first showed me their base." Skitter doesn't expand on the base, other than mentioning the base. Though, it's pretty obvious they'd have a base, seeing how organized they are for a bunch of teenagers. "..What type of deal?". She puts both hands together in front of her, but she's still nervous. But she also thinks her current path is the best path, because it seems like the only way of busting the Undersiders. Even if she may actually be starting to like them.
Staren	Staren chuckles at the 'except here' comment, then nods when Medicine replies, and turns to approach a server. "Well, I came all the way here, I may as well order something. Some sweet and sour shrimp, please." He then makes his way over to their table. "Some people make such a big deal over the different kinds of tea. I just like sweet tea." His eyes widen. "I forgot to order a drink! Can I get some... cream... soda..." he looks around, but the server went in back. Oh well. He can ask for it when they come back. "So, what brings you girls here?"
Bitter Medicine	This is /really,/ reeeally not the Exalt's strong suit. Like everything he's not good at, he usually prefers to avoid it and let someone more competent handle it. But, as he always says, make your bed and lie in it. Without further ado, he puts his offer on the table. "Protective custoday for your father, in return for your complete cooperation for the duration of your investigation."
Cecily	"Grab anything you like. I'll pay," Cecily invites her fellow fox. Then she looks to Staren before rolling her eyes. "Ah, you wouldn't understand, dear... Different varieties of teas have so many different flavors and properties. It's like... looking at a soda fountain at a fast food place and deciding whether or not you want Kero-Kero Cola or Sprunk. They're both 'soda'..." she shrugs her shoulders. "But sometimes people just want cream soda and nothing else," she teases him. "I came to get out of the Vault and get something to eat that I didn't cook for once," she answers. One of her ears is definitely swivelled towards Bitter Medicine and Skitter, however, and Staren's probably sharp enough to catch that detail. "Running into Ahri here was just a coincidence and a lovely perk." Her tails give the kumiho an affectionate hug around the waist.
Ahri	A light blush, but it vanishes as quickly as it arrives. "Aw, thank you! I'm sure all of this is going to be delicious, so, I'll just pick out a few more things then.." though right now? Staren mentioning seafood her hungry for it. SO. A few more pageflips and the vixen finds a huge plate of popcorn shrimp and puts an order in for that with some fries before closing the menu, settling back, and just relaxing at the table. She's probably the only one NOT trying to actively listen to Bitter and Taylor's covnersation.
Taylor Hebert	Taylor Hebert takes a few minutes to think it over. Sure, he'd be safe..but then he's in protective custody. It wouldn't be hard for the others, who know her identity and who her dad knows, to figure out the pieces. Especially Tattletale. "Can't. They'll figure it out. Tattletale's ability allows her to do it. I'm..sorry. You can clarify the part about Tattletale with Armsmaster, if you have to. As soon as I know who their leader is..you'll know.". Taylor's said her piece, and begins to stand up. "Just..tell Armsmaster what I said. I don't want him to think I'm a liar. I want to work with him. But for now..this is all I can do." And then, if allowed, she walks away, and leaves the Bar & Grill.
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine says, "He's made up his mind. He'll think that unless you brain him with the truth. I get that feeling, because I get the feeling he and I are alike. I hope that doesn't discourage you, because if you are telling the truth about this..." She certainly went to a lot of trouble to tell a lie. "Well. You're very brave." Social stuff isn't really his thing, so he just grunts goodbye at her to make it the least awkward."
Staren	Staren nods. "Different people have different tastes. Variety makes the Multiverse go 'round, or something." he shrugs. And he's not trying to listen in either! They said it was private! He watches the Bug Girl go, curiously, and then looks back to Cecily. "So, you spend most of your time in a vault?"
Cecily	"I think the Multiverse is more donut shaped with a caved interior, like a gravity vortex... it wobbles more than it spins..." Cecily considers. When Taylor leaves, her ear flicks and twitches back to its usual place. She places an order for some iced chai tea when the waiterbeing returns with the jojos and takes the rest of the orders. "Vault, capital V." How did she know? "The sort Vault-Tec made. The apocalypse didn't happen in my world. Well, not during that time period, anyway..." she gives a lopsided smile. "Vault 85 is my home, and has been for a long time."
Staren	Staren tilts his head at Cecily. "The multiverse is a sphere." he says, matter-of-factly. "A hollow sphere." Then he nods. "I spend most of my time in the lab, though maybe that's not the same... and of course, in the last few years I've been visiting Equestria often."
Ahri	Jojos! Once they're set down on the table Ahri's quick to nab one and start nibbling at it. She likes them and eventually moves onto another. Meanwhile she's listening to the chitter between Staren and Cecily. A Vault? That's strange, interesting, and not what Ahri expected. "Huh. I don't think I've ever seen a Vault before. At least not the kind you're talking about."
Cecily	"I'll stick with donut," Cecily says quietly. "If the lab is your home, then it's close enough, yes?" she smiles. She laughs at how quick Ahri is with grabbing for the potatoes, and she nabs one herself and dips it in the ranch. She looks to Ahri, ears twitching. "I'd be happy to show you sometime. But if you're more the sort to prefer the outdoors, I assure you that you might feel somewhat uncomfortable. It's quite deep underground after all."
Staren	Staren tilts his head in the other way. "It is a fact. Why would you choose to ignore it?"
Ahri	"Being underground wouldn't bother me, Cecily. I'm not, ah.. ... I don't know what it's called, actually. I just know some people would have an issue with being underground or indoors. I'm not one of them, though!" And more nibbling. She totally missed the ranch sauce but she seems to be enjoying what she has without the ranch. This is when she turns to Staren, and shrugs, "Does it really matter?"
Cecily	"Because the mental image of the Multiverse being attached to a massive wobbling donut amuses me as much as the thought of a world on the back of four elephants and a giant turtle, dear," Cecily says matter-of-factly. "It's far more entertaining to me than a hollow sphere..." she pops the rest of her potato wedge into her mouth afterwards as if to punctuate her words. She noms happily, then smiles brightly at Ahri. "I'd be happy to show you around the Vault sometime, then."
Staren	Staren looks at Ahri. "Of /course/ it matters." He looks back to Cecily. "Regardless, if you ever must make a decision based on this fact, your belief in the wrong one will make it an erroneous decision." He shakes his head. At this point the server comes back with his shrimp. Staren thanks him, then picks up his plate to head to another table. He's not going to get anywhere talking to such foolish people, but he at least realizes that saying that out loud will only make things worse.
Bitter Medicine	With the business of Skitter behind him, there's nothing keeping Bitter Medicine here. However, some /positive/ human interaction--the term 'human' being very subjective of course--would do him some good. So he rolls his neck, subjecting every sensitive ear in the joint to a pop-pop-pop. Standing, he approaches Cecily's table to loom over the foxes like a thundercloud.
Cecily	Cecily just sticks her tongue out at Staren before trying to steal one of his popcorn shrimp. Then she looks up at Bitter Medicine, gesturing to an open seat. "Sounded like an interesting discussion. If only Armsmaster wasn't so... brusque..." she sighs quietly.
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine says, "I'm the same way." He drops into the seat with a thud. "The only reason I gave her the time of day is because I got suspicious.""
Staren	Staren frowns and jerks the plate of shrimp away. Some of the stuff starts to fall off -- fortunately he hadn't opened the little tub of sweet and sour sauce. Electric-blue tendrils are suddenly connecting the falling pieces to his pendant, before moving them back onto the plate. He walks to the next table and sits facing away from them so he can focus on his food. He doesn't understand. Why would Cecily be so foolish? He had the impression she was smart. Doesn't she make tons of stuff like he does? He doesn't understand. But trying to with words never ends well. He sighs as he opens the sauce and dips a shrimp. As Cecily mentions Armsmaster, though, his ears rotate back. So, she heard the conversation? He wondered what else was said, there...
Cecily	"It's healthy to be suspicious when things don't seem to add up.." Cecily giggles quietly when Staren suddenly ostracises himself from the table, and starts to nibble on her own basket of shrimp that Ahri had ordered. "But being a librarian... well, judging a book immediately by its cover is quite the sin for someone like me. Granted..." she sighs, wrapping her fingers around her tall glass of chai and bringing it to her lips with the pause. "...my habit of being willing to offer the benefit of the doubt or second chances has gotten me into a lot of trouble."
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine decides to introduce himself. It's seen as polite, and people like polite. He slides a gloved hand across the table. "Bitter Medicine. Chosen of the Machine God." After a handshake or the lack thereof, he opines on the topic of trust. "Judging by the cover is usually what I do. Trust comes after a /long/ time. Otherwise it's a liability." He looks around for a waiter to flag down. "Ginger ale," he informs the waitstaff before dismissing him with a terse word of thanks. "I don't trust Skitter, but I don't have it out for her, either."
Cecily	"Cecily," the kitsune-looking woman replies gently. "You live up to your name, if you don't mind my saying." Her voice is kind and warm, though. She exudes it, the warmth motherly sort of vibe. "I understand the liability. But I do try to let people... hang themselves before I pass judgement. It's gotten me hurt, I'll admit..." she shrugs those bare shoulders and sighs quietly. "At the very least you don't have it out ofr her, which is good. It means you're willing to give her some chance. Here's hoping it's well founded."
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine grunts his solemn agreement. "I don't mind," he says almost absent-mindedly. "We live up to our names from the moment we're created." If this blows up, he'll look like an asshole in front of perhaps the one Elite he's found the most common ground with. Not exactly a friend, but someone he respects more than others--a colleague. Admittedly, it's not likely /to/ blow up, if Armsmaster can just pack away his ego--if Skitter's lying, they can just treat her like a normal villain, and if she's not, they get to bag a wealthy, connected mastermind. Of course, getting Armsmaster to not be arrogant is like getting him not to resort to violence. Good grief. "Enough rope to hang herself with, like you said. IF she went to all that trouble just to lie to my face, there won't be a whorehouse in Creation she can hide in. Pardon my Autochthonic," he adds after a moment of brooding. His ginger ale arrives, and he has something with which to occupy himself. "What's your purpose, Cecily?"
Cecily	Cecily nods. She doesn't understand the whole Exalts thing. But the name is something she can grok a little bit. Then to the next statement, she shakes her head. "No need for pardons, dear. That's actually an interesting turn of phrase. I like it," she laughs softly. Then the question brings her a pause, and she spends a few moments considering it as she sips her tea and nibbles on some of her shrimp. "To be honest?" she looks up at BM. "Most days, I don't know."
Staren	They live up to their names from the moment they're created. Ponies have names like that too, 'Bitter Medicine'. Staren wonders if that's true of the Equestrians too. Living up to their names. Rainbow Dash certainly does. She's figured out her talent, though. Was she all dashing about, before? Staren tries to recall what he's seen of younger ponies. He hasn't really spent much time around them, but he's seen them here and there, there was that party at Charr's years ago, and the whole... thing with Discord. Apple Bloom. What does an Apple Bloom do? Flowers just kind of sit there. The Crusaders do anything but. And Scootaloo. What the heck is a Scootaloo? For that matter, what is a Twilight Sparkle? She doesn't Sparkle, although she is pretty bright, and Twilight... well, he supposes her coat and mane color might match the evening sky at some point under the right atmospheric conditions. He's often wondered how the heck pony parents know how to name their kids appropriately, but now that he thinks about it, only /some/ of the names are so perfectly suited. A lot of them are actually kind of vague. Parents probably just guess, and the ones with the perfectly-fitting names are memorable. For every Rainbow Dash (and /half/ of that name would have been obvious at birth) or Fluttershy (again, half obvious at birth -- flutter-anything is easily appropriate for a pegasus), there's a Twilight Sparkle or a Pinkie Pie. Seriously, what the heck is a Scootaloo? ...What was he thinking about, again? Staren suddenly stops and stares at one of his shrimp. His train of thought kind of wandered there... Oh right, Bitter Medicine. An interesting name. He does what's needed to help, but isn't pleasant about it. Yeah, that sounds about right. And it's an approach he can agree with. Results and doing what needs to be done are more important than making people feel nice. Maybe he should get to know Bitter Medicine better. They might see eye to eye on lots of things. Right now, though, there's this whole social /thing/ going on. He doesn't understand what's up with Cecily. He dips another shrimp and eats it. Man, shrimp are /delicious/.
Bitter Medicine	She doesn't know her purpose. Then again, that seems to be a distinctly Autochthonian idea. What tumultuous lives the Elites and mortals of the Multiverse must live! Always, his dedication to the state of Gulak, to driving corruption away from it, has been his rock. Perhaps instead of asking her what her purpose is, he should ask... "What do you do for the Union?" That's a more simple question, isn't it? Asking her occupation. He takes a look around the establishment. Wasn't Staren here? He distinctly remembers the voice of the whatever-he-is on his radio. Oh, there he is. The Alchemical's eyes bore into the back of Staren's head. What's this antisocial behavior? If he's in a room and someone in that room is being more awkward and antisocial than him, there's a problem. "Come sit over here," he says. Not a request, no question mark implied. It's a statement.
Staren	It's a moment before Staren realizes what was said and turns around. He looks at Bitter Medicine for a moment. "...Was that directed at me?" After confirmation, he continues: "Look. Talking to her is only going to go badly. She admitted that she ignores facts and lies to herself. I don't understand. She's going to be all insulted and upset that I said even that much. Sorry, Cecily, but I /don't/ understand." He looks back to Bitter Medicine. "Now that I've made things even more uncomfortable, I'll go so you can get back to your... conversation." He turns and closes up the little tub of sweet and sour sauce, and pulls a plastic bag from his magic bag, moving shrimp into it.
Cecily	Cecily considers the question once more, then again she lifts her shoulders. "Again, some days I don't know." She doesn't seem too put off by that, however. "I do whatever I can. Some days I bring meals to Elites, or some days I offer comfort to the injured in Njorun Medical... and other days I'm providing close air support with my gunship. I do ... a little of everything." She nods to herself. "I fill gaps, and I try my best to do good things and be helpful. I don't so much have a defined purpose or task, I just go where I'm needed or desired or where I can manage to fit or assist. Librarian, gunsmith, chef... fire support..." she giggles quietly to herself. Then Staren's statement earns a look. A look that seems to genuinely be one of hurt. She does look insulted and upset, eyes falling shut and head shaking. "Are you going to judge me so harshly because I'm amused at my own thoughts that are contrary to established facts? Would you take offense if I said I have had flights of fancy where I imagined the sky was a deep shade of purple plaid instead of blue merely for the entertainment value? My very existence flies in the face of logic and sensible reasoning. I've the right to have such flights of fancy and be entertained by them. I'm not preaching a contrary to these facts, nor am I forcing my opinion on you." She slumps back in her seat, cradling her glass in her hands and staring into the slowly melting ice cubes. "If I offend you so easily, you have a remarkably small-minded outlook for someone so intelligent and interested in discovery."
Bitter Medicine	Well. "Yes." And then he discovers that 'inviting' Staren over seems to have caused some friction. Conflict resolution isn't his cup of tea--well, not the kind that leaves all parties with all of their teeth, anyway. Is this a conflict? Or is it just insignificant stuff? Ugh. He chooses to contribute to the conversation by taking a long, long draw of his ginger ale, until none of it remains. Yes, Staren's made things uncomfortable, but... "Well. She's not trying to stab you, anyway." So there's that. ...the Alchemical promptly excuses himself after paying for his drink. There's probably something that needs to be done in Gulak right now, anyway.
Staren	Staren turns again, eyes wide, when she explains it was a flight of fancy. "You didn't /say/ that! You didn't /say/ it was a flight of fancy... of course that's alright..." He looks down at the ground. "I misunderstood..." he tries to explain, somewhat lamely. "I thought you meant it..." He turns his chair to face her, and slowly raises his gaze to her again. "You said 'I think', you said 'I'll stick with', and you said 'because it amuses you'. You didn't say it was a flight of fancy, that it was just a funny mental image that you knew wasn't real! How was I supposed to know?!" Anger has crept into his voice. "You didn't say it, and somehow everyone else /knew/, everyone else got what you meant, and I..." he turns away, and then turns his chair, hanging his head over his table. "I can't do this. Every time... every time I talk to people, this could happen... I can go crazy and paranoid watching for it, but I'll guess wrong anyway, or I can talk without fear and then /this/ happens anyway. I'm ranting again. You probably don't want to hear this, it's gonna somehow not get through..." his voice grows softer, almost a mumble. "I... could just go... Sorry... sorry I offended... sorry I misunderstood... if that means anything..." he resumes packing up.
Cecily	"I try not to make a habit of stabbing people unless they truly deserve it... sometimes even then I don't..." Cecily says quietly to Bitter Medicine. She looks over at Staren as he beats himself up over the misunderstanding, sighing quietly. "I did say it was more entertaining to me..." She shakes her head, lifting her glass to the standing Alchemical. "At the end of the day, facts are still facts. They never change until some new truth comes and overturns them. Even if there are places in the multiverse where things fall up and the sky is water and the sea is full of air. But those are still... rare variables." She takes a slow drink, watching Staren. "I'm a librarian. I live in a world of fantasies, fictions, half-truths and wonders. Though one of my favorite quotes is by a scientist. 'Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, whereas iagination embraces the entire world.' But I'm talking too much now, aren't I dear."
Staren	"You need both." He shakes his head. "You're not talking too much. But thanks for not being too mad. I... You see, you can see, how that hurt you, and it hurt me too. I thought I had to cut myself off from someone, then found out I didn't. And I'm relieved for that, but It's draining. I'm tired. I don't know if you want to talk about it, anyway."
Cecily	"Of course you need both," Cecily says quietly. "Imagination is the brain child of knowledge. Without knowledge, imagination would have no process for giving birth to these fancies... Science bringing pen to parchment to give life to mental fancies." She shrugs her shoulders lightly, "Just don't forsake one for the other. Keep your mind open, if you can, to make room for new thoughts or ideas." She offers a gentle smile, risking bringing up the earlier topic. "With how your mind works, wouldn't you be curious to try and figure out -how- a donut-shaped multiverse would work? Some sort of... Stanford torus on a scale on par with, well... there's solar systems and more in the Void..." she suggests quietly. "And what would make it wobble? Conflicting gravities of other nearby bodies or megastructures? Not to spur this discussion, we'd be here all night... but... I've heard you turn ideas conflicting with facts into hours-long talks on how they might come into being."
Staren	Staren smiles a bit and turns around again. "I /would/ like that, if I weren't so tired. Although, I still don't know everything about how /this/ Multiverse works... As I said, I have no problem with flights of fancy. I got the impression that you were willfully ignoring reality in a serious way... what did she say, 'why does it matter'? Like you figured it wasn't important, so you could believe whatever you wished and there would be no consequences. It is that which I had an issue with. Since I was mistaken and there was no such ignoring of the truth..." he shrugs. "There is no issue."
Cecily	"I'm sure you'll ply its secrets in time, dear," Cecily says quietly. "And I do willfully ignore reality sometimes. I used to be able to manipulate it to my whims, actually... I've since lost that power. But I'm no less myself. It's the people that can shape truth that are the most dangerous," she sighs. "I'm rambling. I'm sorry, dear. I should be going home soon. Just try not to take me -too- seriously? Life's too short, even for us who are just about immortal."
Staren	Staren shrugs. "It's fine. ...One last thing. Since now you've seen this happen... and, apparently, can understand what just happened... I'm not gonna say, constantly police what you say, or always remember to be direct with me -- although that would be nice, I like directness -- but, if you ever think something like this might have happened again... please, say something." He turns back around and finishes packing up his meal. His payment is handled wirelessly. "Have a good night." He heads to the warpgate.