[Open IC] Cold Tea [complete]

[Callum O'Connell]

Callum listened to everyone as he considered the poem. He wasn't a scholar but it occured to him that these things were very subjective. While one could assume that the verse was about the Pandora Myth, Callum knew from his art friends that these things often had deeper meanings and knowing when and where the verse was written could give clues to it's symbology.

"Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves here. We could assume this refers to the Pandora Myth but none of really knows," Callum said thoughtfully as he took a sip from his water glass. "What would help is knowing both where this was written and in what time period. That would go along way to understanding the linguistic symbology the author used. Also it would help to know if this verse is part of a larger work. Understanding the larger work, if there is one, might help us understand why we were given this particular verse and what it might mean to us."

The others stared at him for a moment. "What?" He said with a little smile. "Do any of you know any Lit Professors?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Agreed," Olivia said, smiling at Callum. "I personally don't know if it has to do with Pandora, telling us to right her wrong, but isn't that beyond the scope of us? That means restoring the earth to a better state, which isn't our duty, or so I've been told. All that was mentioned to me was dealing with the Big and Little T's.

"Plus, this is a fortune. Or maybe a warning." Olivia glanced up. "Anyone have a parent fond of warning through sweets?"

She shook her head and said, "Callum, we can investigate through a Lit Prof... but can we involve them without involving them? You know... Fatebinding an' all that?"

[Rorx]

Mike look on at their discussion, thinking before joining in,"While I agree there is a faint chance that this is a fragment of a piece of literature that has nothing to do with Pandora, I think it unlikely. It's only my opinion but I think this is original for us. And a parent is most likely to givee the clue or tip off onlly to their child rather than give identical copies to a group, which to me suggests that the waitress who delivered these was an agent of Fate. However, your suggestion Callum is probably worth checking up on."

He turns to Olivia, "I guess your more likely to come into contact with a Lit. Prof than I am. I'll see if I can run it through a literature search engine, or that plagarism checker then they have, that might through up a reference or pointer if it is not original."

Addressing them all, "Any comments or other thoughts?"

[Narinder Kapoor]

Narinder shook his head at Olivia's question.

"My father is much more direct. If he had something to tell me, chances are he would just find me. Or call me. I must confess, I never imagined a god being so adept at modern forms of communication. Foolish of me, really."

He listened to Mike's side of the debate, and nodded faintly.

"I must, for now, agree with Mike. I believe, at least on the surface, that the poem is a direct analogy to the Pandora myth. However, that doesn't mean that indirectly it is not, as you suggest, an allusion to something else. Perhaps we should all think on it, use our resources to verify, and try to figure it out. Perhaps it is a riddle, or perhaps a warning. I do not know. But I do know - or at least, I have faith - that we would not have been presented with this situation, were we not prepared for it.. whatever it may be."

[Arak Noak]

Qiang was quiet finding that his knowledge of Western myth was wholly insufficient, and indeed almost wholly non-existent. He listened instead and tried to avoid staring at the young woman. After a while her appearance began to become familiar enough that he no longer felt the need or desire to take continuous long looks. "I am going to have to do more than a little reading," Qiang mused, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"I think we all do," Livy said with a dazzling smile. Tucking some of her hair behind her ear, she added, "That is what I was trying to say, Nari, that the riddle pertains to something related to Pandora. I just don't think it's directly related to her, and if we focus on the myth too hard, we're likely to miss clues." She gave a half-smile that took any sting out of her words. "That's just one of those things they've taught us in school - if you focus on what you think is the truth too hard, you're going to miss the vital clues that will lead you to the real truth. I just don't want us to get too caught up on Pandora and miss that it's a warning about a virulent plague or something like that. I mean, part of what Pandora released was a plague."

Aw, shit, I just said 'us'. I'm not with them... but I may have just confirmed whatever tie was just put on us anyway. I hate this Fate bullshit. Give me self-determination any day.

"And yeah, I'll find a Lit Prof to look at this," she sighed. "I just... how do I do that without getting him or her caught up in that?" The last thing she wanted to do was Fatebind some poor professor who was just trying to help her.

[Arak Noak]

"What will be, will be. We do not control Fate it, we may manipulate it to our occasional use but Fate does not bow before us." Qiang frowned at his words, clearly no more happy about it than she felt.

[Rorx]

Mike shrugs, "I don't know that we can stop that happening, but on the other hand we have nothing to really say it is likely to happen either. Anybody know of any way to check if someone has become Fatebound?" Although he says this to the group he is looking towards Qiang more at the time, given what he knows of Qiang's delving into magic, he assumes he might have a better idea of the answer than the two newbies.

[Callum O'Connell]

Callum only barely understood what fatbinding really meant. Aislinn had talked to him about it but he had the uneasy feeling that he'd only really understand it once it happened.

"I don't know enough about fatebinding to really say for sure, but I have a hard time bevieving Fate would bugger someone just because we asked them if they recognized a particular piece of text." He finally said. "We don't have to tell anyone why we are interested in it. But I know a couple of people I can ask about this."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"People like us, or norms?" Livy asked Callum, then flinched at her words. "Man, I hate talking like that. Makes me feel like a... a... divinist." The others blinked at her and she said, "Like a racist, but treating them differently because they're not divine. Anyway, I have no idea how this fate-shit works, and I'd like to learn before I bind someone that way. I know that we shouldn't use our sparkly," she waved her fingers as if making arcane symbols in the air, "around them unnecessarily. I'd say that going to see them and asking questions wouldn't, but given how high the 'screw you' quotient has been so far on this whole deal, I wouldn't be surprised to be wrong."

[Arak Noak]

Qiang sighed, "Fate cannot be avoided, or changed, that is what makes it Fate. I haven't heard of a spell that can show such things. I am studying a few at the moment, but ... well there's little point in worrying about what will be until it becomes what is, yes?"

[Rorx]

Mike shrugs, "Yeah, we have no way of knowing if it would make someone Fatebound or not. At best we might, with some work, be able to find out if it has happend after the fact, but I don't see that there is anything we could really do with that information either."

He looks around the group, "Well, I guess unless anyone has any other ideas there is not a lot else we can do about it here tonight. Maybe we should all take it to whatever sources we think could help and then perhaps we get back together in a few days or a weeks time to compare notes?"

[Narinder Kapoor]

"Sadly, I am coming up short as well. But perhaps I might be able to figure something out, given time."

He pulled out his card case again, and pulled out two of the back cards, reserved for Scion activity. He held them out, first to Olivia and then to Callum, with a charming smile for both of them.

"I hope you will be feel free to contact me.. Mike and Qiang have my contact information too, and I can serve as a way-point, if you like, for our future meetings. Of course, I would also like to hope that if either of you have any difficulties, you would be willing to call me. If I can not help you with a situation.. I probably know someone who can. I am sorry I have not been more help, but.. I am hopeful that things will work out, at least with regard to this matter."

[Callum O'Connell]

Callum chuckled at Livy's half jest and listened to to the others before replying. "I agree with Mike. I don't think we will discover what this verse means, in general or to us, without a little research."

He took Narinder's offered card andnodded in thanks. "Unless there is anything else, I think I should be heading off," He said before turning to Olivia. "Liv, do you need a ride anywhere or are you sticking around a bit longer?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"I'll take a ride, thanks," she said. "My brother has the car tonight." She glanced at the others. "Let's call Nari when we have something, and he'll pass it around. Then when we need to meet, we can arrange it through Nari."

She turned her dazzling smile on the handsome man. "If, of course, that's alright with you, Nari."

[Narinder Kapoor]

He returned the dazzling smile back, and held out a hand for hers. She let him take it, curling her fingertips over his, and he lifted it gently and brushed his lips across the back of her hand, lingering for a moment as his eyes caught hers over the movement. Then he pulled back just slightly, his lips curving into a smile.

"It is not only my duty, Olivia.. it is my pleasure."

His voice was like a deep, low purr that seemed meant just for her, and he held on to her hand, his eyes gazing into hers mischievously until she pulled her hand away.

[Rorx]

"Well, I guess it's good night to you guys then. Take care and let us know if you find anything." He nods towards his laptop, "I better try to get my paper proposal finished, so I'm here for the duration."

[Arak Noak]

Qiang looked down at his watch and nodded. "I have a lot more reading to do. Many myths that I need to read up and familiarize myself on. Mike, I'll see you around I presume?" He turns to the others and bows to each in turn, "It was a pleasure to meet you all, even if the circumstances are strange."

[Rorx]

Mike nods and bows in return to Qiang, "Sure Qiang, you know where you can find me. We'll talk more about that exchange of training yeah?"

[Callum O'Connell]

"It was good to meet you all, we'll talk soon," Callum said as he got to his feet and he and Olivia headed for the door. He was quiet as they got into his old '76 Camaro and pulled away from the curb.

"Sorry for ignoring your question back there," He said, finally breaking the silence between them that was starting to become awkward. "It's just, well, there is something that I didn't want to reveal to them back there. I trust you, but I don't know them yet and I want to be careful."

It all came out in a rush, like he'd been holding it in for a while now; a big secret that was kiling him to hold in. "I have a tutor in all this stuff," he said and gave Livy a sidelong glance to see if he'd perked up her curiosity. "It's, well, she's a dragon. An honest to god, scaly, winged, fire breathing dragon. Apparently my father made a deal with her to be my tutor. I think that's why I'm dealing with all this so well. I mean after getting schooled by a big assed dragon on the ins and outs of being a God's kid anything else is going to seem pretty mundane, right?" He was smiling as he finished a feeling of relief that he'd finally been able to let all that out.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"A dragon? Are you for real?" she asked, her jaw dropping open. Before he could answer, she twisted in her seat and said, "Can I see it? If that's allowed? I mean, this is the kind of thing that you have to see to believe! You can't just say, 'I have a dragon' and have people be all, 'Cool, sure, great, wanna a beer?' I mean, I have to see this! Can I see it? I know I said I have to, but can I please?"

She looked like a child poised on the brink of Christmas, or having her fondest wish come true. But then, seeing the impossible had always been something exciting for the young woman next to him.

[Callum O'Connell]

Callum chuckled at Olivia's enthusiasm. "It's a she," He said. "Her name is Aislinn. She's not my pet so I just can't show her off to everyone I meet but when I talk to her I'll ask if you can come along next time I see her. I plan on asking her about the poem next time I see her so it would probably be good that you are there anyways."

He got a little quiet and at a red light he turned to look at his friend. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone about her. Not unless I give the okay. And please, please, please don't write about her," He said. "It's not that I don't trust you, I do. Other wise I never would have told you, but the less people that know about her, the safer she'll be, you know? She doesn't understand the modern world like we do."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"C'mon, Callum, who the hell is going to believe me?" Livy said, grinning. "I've seen some crazy shit in the last week and I only barely believe you." She shook her head, turning to look back out the windshield. "Dragons and gods and fortune cookie riddles. It doesn't seem like my world anymore, ya know?"

She glanced at Callum. "I mean, my life's always been fucked up, having a wicked step-mom and all. It's just hard to believe that I had said step-mom because goddess-mommy couldn't raise me herself. It's just... crazy. I must have asked myself if I were sane every hour for the last week. If Wak hadn't seen it too, I might suspect that I am nuts."

[Narinder Kapoor]

Narinder made his excuses as well, and headed out to try and see what information he could find out. It would have to wait till the next day though.. it had been a very, very long night. He whistled as he left the restaurant, overall pleased with how the evening had turned out.

[Callum O'Connell]

"I think all of our lives were fucked up before the big reveal you know what I mean? I mean if you think about it, we were all abandoned by our God-Parent; you had to deal with a wicked stepmom, I ran away from home when I was 15 and lived by my wits and ass," He looked at Olivia and while his words sounded bitter there wan't the pain she expected to see in his eyes. "Right now I look at it as being prepared for what is to come. If I can survive 5 years on the streets I can survive anything else."

"But you're right, it's a crazy assed world we live in now. Which reminds me; there's something I'd like to do," Callum's wry smile returned and peaked his friends curiosity. "If fate is going to be chucking us into dangerous and wierd situations I'd like to mark you. Don't worry! It's a power I have, it'll let me know if and when you are in danger."

He looked at her as her eyes got wide. "Hey, we're partners now. Gotta look out for each other, right?"

[Dave ST]

2 XP