1359/=A Recruit

=A Recruit
Date of Scene:	25 April 2020
Location:	Central Park Zoo
Synopsis:	Achilles and Jessica have a roundabout conversation about Shield
Cast of Characters:	Jessica Drew, Achilles

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Jessica Drew has posed:
Truth be told Paris in the springtime has nothing on New York on one of its glorious spring days. The trees have begun to leaf in earnest, the mild air near the zoo has more a tang of the animals that populate the temperate zone exhibits than the sea of traffic that this island of green floats in.

The weather has brought New Yorkers in all their variety out, light jackets and even the occasional t-shirt, more hopeful than realistic, say the weather has taken a turn. Two people sit on a bench under the drift of apple tree blossoms, the cherries having passed their nadir listening to the cackle of snow monkeys that occupy themselves in and around a pond in small family groups. The Central Park Zoo is open again after being closed because of the recent theft of one of its precious snow leopards.

Jessica is one of the optimistic, in stretch jeans, a bright red long sleeved tee under a black jacket. She sits comfortably turned towards her companion, "Did I tell you about the satyrs that I saw on tv, Achilles? Or do you know about them?"

Achilles has posed:
    "I've met satyrs before." admits Achilles with a shrug. It's totally nonchalant of him. "But, I've had time to meet a lot of things. Plus, they are the servants of Dionysis. God of wine. There is a reason they are all nuttier than squirrel poop." he adds before taking a sip of his cappuccino.
    But he smiles and glances out at the trees, shaking his head, "You know, spring never gets old. Though I must say, I have always preferred autumn."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"They are without a doubt the ugliest things I have ever seen. I have no idea what or why it would be sexy to be ravished by one of those things." She scowls until she catches sight of a family group of snow monkeys grooming each other, her expression eases into a faint smile. "Rams stink. They stink to high hell as you probably know better than I do. They apparently just came out of no where."

Achilles has posed:
    "Well..." begins Achilles. He shakes his head as he takes another sip. "Imagine them when you have had -entirely- too much to drink. When your judgement is so impaired that... I believe that in recent years, the term has become... beer goggles or some thing to that effect." he admits before he sighs and glances outside once more. "To be fair. A -lot- of animals smell bad. Keep in mind, until the twentieth century as the Catholic church measures time, daily regular bathing was never really a thing. The reason perfume and cologne exists... was that it was used to mask body odor for nobles who could afford the expensive materials, since a bath was a luxury most could not get regularly."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The last sentence draws Jessica's attention from the monkeys. She laughs, "Beer goggles? Really? I've never heard the expression. Oh, that's rich!"

Arm over the back of the bench, one knee on the bench so she can look at him as they talk, "I've heard there were nobles in the French court that bragged at how many days they hadn't washed their hands and that Louis XIV stunk like a ram. Yes, apparently. But not the Greeks...well a lot of cultures in the Mediterranean had public baths that people really used. The Israelis have Talmudic texts even about when to bath and how."

Achilles has posed:
    "Sure. But it was nothing like the ability in this modern day to wash so completely, so often, and so easily." admits Achilles. "I had my fair share of stinky days. Especially when traveling on foot across a nation or two." he states, eyes lifting and looking off into space. "It got worse aboard sailing ships. The English were not immune to this. Let me tell you... a crew aboard a sailing ship had to endure many hardships. Not the least of which was the stench of one another. And London in the late eighteen hundreds? Wow. It's like the city stored up its bad odors for centuries and just piled one atop the other until the modern age."
    But then he chuckles, "There were good things in history. But for the most part, I wish I had indoor plumbing centuries ago."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"I wonder what people will look back on in our era and decry...well, besides the obvious inequities between people, and the wars, primitive medicine." Pretending to lean and sniff him, she wrinkles her nose and then grins, "Nope, not one of those days. Still, how can you be so calm about satyrs just popping out of no where and rushing a crowd at a fashion show? Not that I am ultra shocked, I just find it bizarre."

Achilles has posed:
    "Jessica. You forget what I -have- witnessed in my life. Or even more to the point.. what I have been -involved- with. First, the famous one... the war with Troy, where the gods themselves moved people about like pieces on a game board. Where I was pitted against Amazons who are -related- to this... Wonder Woman. I ran with the heroes of that age. Odysseus was a friend of mine. Have you read the stories Homer wrote of -him- adventures?" Achilles asks, "And that was all before I faked my death and tried to live in obscurity."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Excuse me," Jessica says humorously. "My youth is showing. Your point is well taken. You have seen and done a lot." Her green eyes narrow in thought and she leans towards him again. "You know I work for some people that you might be considered an asset for. I mean," she leans back, "would you mind if I told them about you? They are the good guys. Though you might be too busy with your security firm."

Achilles has posed:
    "The firm pretty much runs itself." suggests Achilles with a shrug, "Thank you for asking. Maybe you could arrange a meeting? Let me decide if they need to know more about me than my -file- might indicate?"
    He's giving it some thought though. "None of them are dimensionally renowned sorcerers, are they?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Not fair." Jessica sits up straight, knee sliding off of the bench. "Just not fair," she repeats crossly. "For all I know, he is in Tibet meditating. I haven't seen or heard from him since our meeting at the driving range."

Achilles has posed:
    "Jess." says Achilles, shortening the name for the first time. "I was trying to use a little gallows humor... admittedly in poor taste." he states with a shake of his head. His hand reaches out for hers and he sighs, "Forgive me for that?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Frowning she regards his hand like it might bite, "You've never called me Jess before." As long as he has lived he should be wary, she maybe about to sucker punch him and this is a feint. A double feint then. She takes his hand and shakes it firmly, businesslike looking him straight in the eyes. "Forgiven. We both have had to forgive each other recently. Haven't we?"

Achilles has posed:
    In all seriousness, it wasn't any sort of trap. He was trying to be a friend. He sighs and shakes his head, "Humor... especially bad humor, is a trait of mine that never really made it into the stories."
    At the handshake, he grimaces a bit and shrugs. "Okay. That didn't work as intended at all, did it?" he asks.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Standing up, she takes a step towards the pond to look down on the monkeys, "Did I tell you about the stolen leopard, Achilles? I must be losing my head if I didn't. I love these monkeys."