10617/Ground-Level Galleria Coffeeganza!

Ground-Level Galleria Coffeeganza!
Date of Scene:	01 April 2022
Location:	Gotham City Tower
Synopsis:	At a coffee-bar deconstruction of an art gallery opening, Miles Hawkins is rescued by Dr. Asariel Basotini, Harper Row (Electrical Genius Extraordinary) and Phoebe, who was wearing a dress in the scene. There is a Rube Goldberg machine that dispenses coffee pods.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Harper Row, Asariel, Miles Hawkins

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There is an exclusive, new, devoted to the advante-garde and modern art gallery that has taken up space as a pet project of some of the Old Money Family's youngest in the Gotham Tower this evening, and tonight was its grand opening -- very exclusive, very private, only the top people are going to be there. The Gallery Owner looks like a wish.com Andy Warhol wearing a 'witty' quote T-shirt and discussing things like 'mood lighting within neo-Baroque artology' and wearing a suit that looks like Jackson Pollock got to it first is surrounded by people who look like Bjork and Lady Gaga knockoffs, wearing oversized sunglasses and sky-high heels and gogo boots.

    True to the deconstruction format of the traditional art gallery, there are a variety of Keurieg machines set up with a maddening amount of randomly dispensed pods coming down off some Geiger inspired Rube Goldberg device that takes up half of the wall and part of the ceiling (itself an installation with the incredibly unpretenious name of 'wasting the world one cup of java at a time in spirit and reality, multiple medium, 2022). A variety of fruits and vegetables that are claimed to be local (although oranges in Gotham, in March, are probably anything but local), along with canapes and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts and little fancy sausages wrapped in phillo dough (DEFINITELY NOT PIGS IN A BLANKET) are being offered by well-heeled waiters, along with small glasses of champagne.

    Into this mess? Enter Phoebe, wearing a tea-length dress with capped sleeves, poofy underpinnings and a dark orange ribbon wrapped around her waist, her hair braided and pinned back as she steps in, heels clicking on the floor as she wrinkles her nose a moment.

Harper Row has posed:
A Rube Goldberg device that dispenses coffee? Who's been reading Harper's fanfiction?

The blue-haired girl is wearing a baggy leather jacket and jeans, along with an oversized t-shirt emblazoned with the face of pop icon Billie Eilish making a sneering face. "How is this both genius and total shit at the same time?" she says aloud to herself, sitting on a bench in front of the thing and examining its underpinnings.

"Yo, Pheebs!" she says, raising a hand at her well-dressed friend when she enters.

Asariel has posed:
Asariel's been absent completely from life. Given she got herself stuck in the Silver City that was probably why. But no one knows that except for her and well...the rest of the angels. Special engagments at art galleries were something that had to be done. Mainly to keep up appearances. The white haired woman is looking...slightly rough though. She's lost wight and the usual brightness that was in her eyes previously is all but gone.

But she has the face of an angel either way. She can't get rid of that heavenly presence.

She really hated it. She's dressed in one of her simpler white gowns and looking at one of the paintings as a man drones on about it. Beside her is a tall main of Italian decent, he looks rather at home watching the crowd. And he manages to catch sight of Phoebe before he reaches out a hand to touch Asariel's elbow gently and point her out as well.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
Truth be told, this sort of gathering really isn't to Miles Hawkins' taste. He has *some* appreciation for art to be sure, as a handful of exotic pieces strewn about his house could testify to, but the more avant-garde offerings of modern artistic society are... well. Some of these would look oddly at home hanging from his secret identity's exoskeleton, while others would look more at home looked at through a microscope.

No, Miles is here tonight for the social aspect, moving among circles and making himself known to any potential interests. It's an annoying necessity of running one's own business, and one that his partner John Stonebrake reminded him was not an insignificant one. Miles has always been of the opinion that their works should speak for themselves, but sadly it rarely goes that way in the private sector, especially when science and technology are involved.

When Miles had pointed out that his partner was more than capable of handing networking, said partner had put his foot down. "Ohhh, no no no! If I have to go Miles, then *you* most certainly have to go!"

And so here he is, dressed in a formal dark suit and tie and carefully navigating his wheelchair through the throng. Smiling pleasantly and nodding along to some discussion of a particularly baroque-looking work before managing to turn his chair away, heading towards the coffee monstrosity for some much-needed stimulation.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe had looked back, where a smartly dressed older man simply waved and made an exit, and she wrinkled her nose again in frustration, almost turning to follow suite -- until she heard her name. She pauses, turning (click click! Heels!) and she gives an absolute smile of relief when she sees Harper.

    "Harper Row!" she smiles, making her way over as calm and collected as one can, and she looks at the giant coffee-pod dispensing monstrosity.

    "So... does the coffee cup have another, smaller coffee up that comes out of it too?" she asks, crossing her arms a moment as she gives a grin. This close, Harper would see that Phoebe's using cover-up to make the weird scars on her left arm far less noticible.

    She had felt a tug about the room earlier, though, and was trying to feel where it might have come from.

    The work was completely Baroque-en; they tried to deconstruct a classical painting style and render it in 3d as a mobile and it just wasn't working. The paperclips made it look strange and unusual and what exact 'media' was mixed in with this?!

    "-- so that's when I told my old man 'whoa, no way Pops, you can represent Old Gotham, we're gonna be the Shiny an' New! We're gonna Art the Deco outta the streets and bring the place to the twenty-first century and -- whoa, careful there Wheels!" the host attempts to be friendly, and offers his hand, tilting down his obnoxiously mirroed sunglasses. "Mikey Agustus, of *That* Agustus Family. How're you enjoying the show? Hey, if you need a closer look at somethin', let me know, I'll have someone bring you to its level! -- our lifts can accomodate chairs, right?" he asks, looking over his shoulder.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper Row pops up from her seat and makes her way over to give Phoebe a hug, being careful not to smudge any of that make-up. "Only in the Russian version," she says. "The engineering on it is awesome and I totally get the environmental theme but, also, like, it's very on the nose and I'm way too caff-addicted to think too hard about the impact of my actions so it mostly just makes me feel guilty. But, hey, what else is knew, I've felt guilty for everything since I was like thirteen, why stop now?" she grins.

SHe gives a quick glance around the room to take in the others, lingering for a moment on Miles, not because of the wheelchair (although that looks like a sweet one with maybe a few custom features!), but because he looks somewhat familiar. Harper tries to keep her pulse on the scientific community even though she's not technically a member of it because she doesn't have a degree and she's not 'formally qualified' or 'actually licensed' in any fields. "Hey, look, it's Miles Hawkins. Been a while since he's been out and about. Cool."

She nods to the Agustus guy and nudges Phoebe, "So, how much cocaine do you think he did in the bathroom?"

Asariel has posed:
Asariel's silvery blue gaze goes to Giovanni, then to where he is nodding. There's a bit of a smile when she sees Phoebe. She turns back to the person that was speaking to her and excuses herself quietly. Then she heads the way of the younger woman and others. Giovanni falls in behind her, but that's what good bodyguards do.

She gives a dip of her head to Harper and Phoebe, "I hope I'm not interrupting." she states. Then there is a look to August and back to the two, "Whatever he did, he seems like his heart is going to give out any second if he stops talking." she shakes her head.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
'Wheels?' Miles fixes a polite smile in place as he reaches to shake the offered hand. "Miles Hawkins. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Agustus. And a very generous offer -- I'll bear it in mind." With absolutely no intention of taking advantage of it. "You've got several impressive pieces which I'm sure demand closer scrutiny." By someone other than him, preferably.

Although Miles *had* been wondering how such a monstrous coffee delivery system could have even been conceived. Of course, seeing their host's energy levels -- which more than one person here has noticed, to be sure -- it becomes a little clearer. Whatever the art piece says about waste, at least none of the actual coffee will be going that way.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe glances over at Mikey Agustus, of *those Agustuses, and wrinkles her nose. "In my expert medical opinion? If he stopped talking, the entire cardiovascular system explode." she comments quietly to Harper and Asriel, and she gives the warmest smile to the pale artist.

    "Harper, may I introduce you to Asariel Basotini, one of my friends from New York and a close friend of one of my adopted dads. Asariel, may I introduce you to Harper Row. A good friend of mine who works in the Electrical Industry here in Gotham, and pretty much kind of a genius." she pauses a moment, glancing over to Miles Hawkins.

    "Think we should rescue him from Agustus?" she questions, and then she goes to her tip-toes in her shoes and gives a wave.

    "Miles! Miles Hawkins! *There* you are! Why don't you come join us?" she calls out in the sweetest voice she can muster.

    Mikey Agustus was about to pester Miles more, but seeing as a Trio of Ladies was calling to him, he just gives Miles a wink, gives him a light punch on the shoulder and a 'Go get 'em tiger! You need anything, you give us a yell, Yeah?"

Harper Row has posed:
Harper Row may not quite qualify as a 'lady' but she's at least standing next to a couple of them, so she's sort of an adjunct lady. The community college version.

"Nice to meet ya," she says, offering a hand to Asariel, "You rich folks sure do run in packs," she grins. "I'm definitely a kind of genius. We're not always sure what kind. I'm still being tested. Fingers crossed!"

She joins in for the walk over to rescue Miles and, in the process, takes a better look at his chair, "I see you've increased the battery power on this thing. THat's a good idea, because I kind of doubt there's a spare charging space to be found anywhere around here," she says.

Asariel has posed:
Asariel gives an easier smile to Phoebe, then a slight bow to Harper and then reaching to take her hand to return the greeting, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Row." she states. "We could always use more genius', whether it is scholarly or otherwise." she muses to that. She doesn't correct that she's dating one of Phoebe's adopted dads...given the whole stuck in heaven for months thing. "He does look like he needs saving." she comments quietly as she follows after the two of them.

The woman gives a smile to Miles, letting the others talk for the moment.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
That fixed smile stays firmly in place as Miles dips his head to the 'gracious' offer. "Most kind of you, Mr. Agustus." Turning his chair and wheeling its way over towards the trio...

...where that fixed smile becomes a little more genuine, though accompanied with a huff of breath. "I don't believe we've actually met, miss, but you have my most sincere gratitude."

Giving a nod of the head to each, although Harper's comment gets a more interested look as well. "Normally I go completely manual, but a friend urged me to try something new. You have a good eye, Miss... ?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a smile as Harper goes to rescue Miles from Mikey, and she leans over slightly, "... she doesn't know about Chas, and I definitely don't want to try and explain how the scrappy blonde with the blue eyes is no longer 'Dad'." she explains in a hushed tone to Asariel, but she gives a bright smile as she motions about.

    "In a strange turn of events, the maidens did the saving this time. I'm pleased to introduce Miss Asariel Basotini, Artist of a different mode; Miss Harper Row, technologically incliend electrical engineering genius; and myself--" she gives a bit of a smile.

    "Phoebe -- last name's not important," she comments waving her hand around "Soon it's going to be famous like Madonna or Bowie and then everyone will know who you mean." she states, with a hefty dose of playful lilt about it. She doesn't beleive a word of it.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper Row smiles and introduces herself, "You might have met my dad, he used to do some of the major electrical work for the city. I think you and he crossed paths a time or two," she says.

She chuckles at Phoebe, "Yeah, you're the local Material Girl, that's for sure," she says. "Or are you the Thin White Duke?"

"Phoebe's pretty special, too, don't let her fool you, Dr. Hawkins."

Asariel has posed:
Asariel gives a look to Phoebe and she gives her a gentle smile, "It's alright and not mine to discuss." she tells her. She wasn't going to muck that up for her. She does give a smile to Miles, "I'm Doctor Basotini, not medical though." she chuckles to that. She felt a little better for talking to people tonight.

She then folds her hands in front of her lightly, her eyes watching over things. Perfectly happy to listen to the others for the moment.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
Miles blinks as Harper is introduced -- this wasn't the sort of person he was expecting to run into here, and he couldn't be more pleased. "I have indeed, Miss Row! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Phoebe's introduction gets a pause... but when he notes that playful lilt, he relaxes and offers a genuine smile, and even a bit of tease back. "In that case, I'll count myself fortunate to have met you now! I do hope you'll remember me down the road."

By the time introductions come around to Asariel, Miles is relaxed enough that he can offer a genuine sentiment in return. "Always a pleasure to meet a colleague, Doctor Basotini, regardless of the field." *He* certainly feels better about tonight, and not just for the company of three very unique women. If he absolutely had to come out and do some networking, this is exactly how pleasant he could have hoped it would go.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Nothing 'thin' or 'white' about me." Phoebe comments ruefully to Harper, lips pursing a moment as she gives a smile. "I'm a pre-med student myself, looking to focus either in family practice pediatrics or wondering if I should specialize in a different field. There's so few dermatologists who specialize in melanistic expressions, for instance." she explains, and rubs on the back of her neck a moment, feeling terribly awkward. "Can I get you a cup of coffee from this... ah... dispensing... machine?"

Harper Row has posed:
Harper sticks her tongue out at Phoebe, "Well, you just don't seem like a Ziggy Stardust type, what can I say?" she says.

She nods to Miles, "Dad always spoke well of you. Said you actually listened to him, even though he didn't have a fancy degree, unlike some of the other consultants the city hired," she says. She gets a little wistful as she speaks and gets her phone for a second, "Scuse me," she says, sending a quick text to check-in with her brother, reminded for a moment of family and the price she's paid in the past.

Asariel has posed:
"If there is anything whiter and thinner than Doctor Basotini we should talk to them." Giovanni states to the group in the most serious voice that he can. Asariel just gives the man a look and then his thousand watt smile is painted on. "I'm going to go find her a drink." he adds as her bodyguard skitters away.

She chuckles, "Apologies." she whispers to the group. "He's trying to keep everyone in good spirits." she adds. "It is nice to meet you." she tells Miles.

"It's warming up, so we'll be having more and more things like this popping up. And galas." she shakes her head. She was debating taking a break this year.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
Harper's wistful tone gets Miles' attention, as does the fact that she's been talking about her father in the past tense. But before he can comment on that she's on her phone, and he simply nods in response, letting her text. Some might see that as inappropriate, but Miles can tell there's more to it than just a need to hit up social media or some acquaintance. Things do have a way of hitting you with reminders at times.

Turning his attention back to Phoebe. "I... would be very interested in seeing if you can or not, actually," he notes, grinning a bit as he looks over the machine. "But if it turns out to be no huge amount of trouble, then yes please." Not too long ago, the idea of having someone fetch something for him instead of getting it himself, would have grated at him. Now at least, he can see it as simple manners, and returns it with good humor. And a helpful offer of his own, after a moment. "Miss Phoebe -- Hawkins Technologies has had dealings with some of the local hospitals. If you'd like to know more about just what would be involved in working with your prospective fields, I'm sure I could arrange for you to speak to someone, if you'd be interested."

Asariel's observation is greeted with a bit less enthusiasm, alas. "Although it is very nice to meet you as well, I'm... not sure I can say I'm looking forward to attending more of these." That it's only slightly more diplomatic than just flat-out saying he's *not* looking forward to it, is about the best he can manage. He's only been here a few hours, and *he* could happily take a break from it for the rest of the year.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a grin at Giovanni. "We'll make sure she doesn't float away." she smiles to the Italian guard, and gives a smile -- though this one is embarrassed -- to Asariel. "I keep forgetting you have a PhD, I'm sorry! I'll make it up somehow." she whispers to the pale woman, and she gives a small smile to Harper, and then steps over to the monstrous pod dispensor.

    First she hits a button.

    And then pulls a lever.

    And then pushes in on a spoon-like item.

    There's a crunching sound of gears winding up, and the whole contraption seems to shudder to life.

    There's a wheezing, hissing sound as one randomly selected coffee pod is released. It travels down a chute, only to be picked up by a bypass and rolled down what looks like an approximation of the esophagus of an elephant doing a hand-stand while controting and playing the French Horn. It loops and skips over rails before being struck down by a finely formed high heeled boot -- but upside down, like some weird representation of Itally.

    It comes down a spiral, and then is transferred by a short conveyer belt to what looks like a child's macaroni project painted gunmetal black and rendered in horrifying blast-out 3D, where it bounces like the world's worst pinball bearing and with a grumpy roaring sound, drops down and into the K-Cup holder of the machine, where a hand snaps down and closes the machine, making it ready for one's water selection as it begins to bubble up.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper Row finishes her text and takes a moment to snap a picture of the machine in operation, getting a short video, too, so she can analyze some of the structures and mechanics of the thing at her own leisure. Technically, she could easily memorize all that stuff, but video makes it easier and saves her having to waste precious brain resources on what's essentially a novelty.

"So, Asariel, is he just guarding your body or is he...y'know, guarding your body?" she asks, doing the traditional eyebrow bounce.

Asariel has posed:
Asariel gives a bit of a frown to Gio and then chuckles. There is a look to Phoebe and she gives her a warm smile, "You have nothing to apologize for, dear one. Nothing to make up for either." she adds. She watches her go and there is a look to Harper at the question, "Oh...oh no. Giovanni has been my bodyguard since I was a teen. My other half is on an extended business trip so he's not here." she admits. Talking about Chas makes her sad. It shows.

"Oh I'm not looking forward to it at all." she tells Miles with a chuckle. Then she's reaching up to wipe a tear off of her face, "If you'll excuse me, something in my eye." she whispers to them as she goes to find Gio.

Miles Hawkins has posed:
The machine's operation also gets Miles' attention in the same sort of fascination that a car accident would, witnessing the operation of what must seem like all manner of poignant statements to the art world, but appears as the demented brainchild of H.R. Geiger and Rube Goldberg. And all for a single cup of coffee. "That is... certainly something," he murmurs after a moment. Tonight's been an experience, if nothing else.