17072/Another New Face ... in Ted's Pool.

Another New Face ... in Ted's Pool.
Date of Scene:	01 February 2024
Location:	Penthouse - Kord Co
Synopsis:	Ted and Joan meet Clara, and confuse her.
Cast of Characters:	Ted Kord, Joan Wright, Clara Jennings

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Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord possesses a magical scarab. It never worked right for him but in fact he does have it. It turned Joan into a female tank. She hated it and the damned thing repelled her like Dracula facing a piece of the True Cross. Thoughts of Kajii Daa are very far from Teds thoughts this evening. Joan is over, for the night by all indications. Bailey the wayward bot is back with her siblings and there's the usual dinner of dumplings, sushi and a Western Cheeseburger Ted ordered up from Brooklyn.

"You most definitely left the corn fritters out of the order! It's the principle of the thing! Listen... for all I know I OWN your establishment. I want a refund is all. How do I prove I didn't get it? I'm Ted Kord! My rep speaks for itself... What a billionaire wants with five lousy bucks is beside the point!! Listen I'll fly right over there and put my foot up your... hello? Hello??"

He shuts the phone. "This phone always drops my calls. Hey Joan, it looks like rain. Are the bots with you? They hate lightning."

Joan Wright has posed:
One could think that there is an exaggeration with the assessment of Joan's reaction to the scarab. But, it is true. Joan can still remember the torn LEGOS, broken chopsticks, and broken Teds during her time as an accidental Amazon. And she definitely does not want to repeat that experience EVER again.

See? Right now she can USE the chopsticks. Clack clack. Grab. NOM!

As is the norm when one has a mouth full of food. Someone asks a question. But fortunately there is a way out of this one. With a glance under the table to find Bobo and Bailey, Joan looks over to Ted and holds up two fingers to show her count.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    So lately Clara has had a run of something very far from good luck. But she was given a simple order. Well, two. The surface-level one is to chase down a magical scarab. The Conservatory never collects magical objets for itself, so it must be a trade. All above Clara's paygrade. She's just here for the job. And to increase her stress baseline.

    Did someone say rain?

    There is a blur of someone falling outside, followed by a muffled splash as a young woman goes crashing into the pool in a flurry of paper. The pool cover may or may not survive the experience. However, smashing into the water with the cover all around her? It's expert level survival tactics and Clara starts with the wind knocked out of her.

    Somewhere, someone is ecstatic over her skyrocketing stress levels! Now... if she just can't not drown! That would ruin everything.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord notes the female falling into the pool and sighs. He's jumping up as he sighs, and out the door. Why do girls fall in his pool with odd frequency. He ought to get the damned pool blessed. Ted is an agnostic but he'd give anything a shot. Among his pool equipment is a new addition, a pole with a mechanical claw attached. Remember what he said about girls falling into his pool? He got tired oot tired of diving in, oft times with an esoteric device in a pocket.

Ted grabs onto the diminutive shape by the torso and pulls her to the edge, Then he helps her up.

"Don't worry miss, this happens all the time... any of you bots want to give me a hand?!"

Silence.

Nope.

Ted helps the stranger into the penthouse.

"It happened again! Can you see to this woman, Joan? My lawyers are really breathing down my neck. Hi, I'm Ted and this is Joan."

Joan Wright has posed:
Things occur at a quick pace. For as Joan holds up her fingers to display, the visual of something falling into the pool occurs.

Joan chews faster, getting up from her seat. The chopsticks clatter onto her plate as she follows after Ted. Seeing that he has the matter mostly handled, Joan hangs back to allow room for the billionaire to move. Noting it's a person, she looks over to Bailey. "Bailey, get some spare towels for us please."

Emergency guidelines. When you want something done, assign it out. Don't vaguely ask.

Joan moves over towards Clara. "Funny thing is this isn't the oddest thing to end up in this pool." Joan offers up to Clara, holding a hand out to help guide the woman away from the edge. "This way. We'll go get you a towel and into some drier clothes..."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is usually not greeted when she's come to ... well, maybe 'ask' for something but probably just take it cause it never, ever works. She is hauled out like a wet cat and kind of just.. dangles there, pathetically. For a moment, anyway.

    She gets up and sighs. "Hi there, I'm..." Hm. Her briefcase. It fell somewhere... She sees it. It fell on the helipad. And broke open. "...totally out of paper."

    Being guided inside and offered towels and dry clothes is a new one for her. "You... are not throwing me out?" She's wearing a bodysuit, padded, and there was a mask. But well, it was paper. She's also got a bracelet on her wrist. It is trying to beep in alarm, but it sounds rather...sad. Clearly the speaker is not water proof. It finally fizzles out entirely.

    "I appreciate your help. I don't suppose you know anything about a scarab. I was told there was an artifact scarab that might be here." She looks from Joan to Ted and back. "You... probably don't know what I'm talking about."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord fixes her with an odd look. "Ok, you're old enough to have heard of The Blue Beetle? Beetle, scarab. Only it never worked right for me. Hence, technology. And... it's gone. Joan there did some repairs to it and it up and left. Good riddance. I don't do magic. Believe me, I'd give it to you with my blessing if it was still around. But... it walked away or flew or something. Anyway, sorry you came out for nothing. Want some dinner? We have dumplings and sushi and we always order extra. Get dried off and you can eat and tell us your back story."

"Gosh you're tiny."

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan's glance looks over to where Clara looks, and then to Bobo. "Bobo, could you collect the papers before they blow away? Of course if it starts to actually rain, come back inside."

Seeing Bailey give Clara a towel, she smiles to the woman. "I think I might have something you can u-"

Joan stops talking as there is a mention of the scarab, face seeming a bit pale to the reminder. Joan turns, grabbing one of the extra towels, she sets it on an extra chair at the table, tugging it out for Clara. "I'll be right back." She simply states, walking off to the guest rooms while Ted explains the fate of the scarab.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara shivers a bit and adds a sneeze, which covers with a soaked handkerchief. "Excuse me. I am Clara. My friends call me, well, they call me umm, Clara as well. So it it is not here, then."

    She hesitates for a moment, but does sit on the chair. The machine gets her attention. She is clearly unsure what to make of it. "So you are the Blue Beetle. And you are Joan." And she is cold.

    "My backstory? I do not understand. I am not all that interesting. But if you would like to hear a lecture I have been working on, umm, well, it is about cinema of the 1940s." She is not good at people.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord perks up a little. "I don't suppose you know any 50's films? 'Them' is a favorite of mine... the one with the giant ants? I love the Atomic Horror genre. Bt you don't have to give us a lecture. Have a dumpling and go get something dry to wear before you catch a cold."

Ted looks under the table and says, "Get out from there, Bobo! Show this lady to a guest room and get her something to wear. You big sissy, you're the elder bot, set an example!" A rather large bit emerges and offers Clara its arm.

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan takes a few moments but when she comes back she's carrying a pair of cargo pants and a green shirt. She heads over to Clara, holding it out for her. "This will probably be loose on you but it'll do while your clothes d-." Another Bot shows up with more clothes. "...Alright you have options now."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is surprised by the robots, and by the options. But options are, well, they are confusing. She just takes what Joan has brought her. "These. Thank you! I am sorry, I should really get out of your hair. I came uninvited and you do not even have the scarab. You should enjoy your evening."

    But she is cold. And etiquette is, well, she was invited. It is rude to go, too. "But thank you. I appreciate it. And I will accept your kind invitation. I umm.. just one moment. I will change."

    And on this she will let the robot lead her to a private space to change. She does not take long to drive off and return. Her clothes are either hung up or taken by the robot. Whatever happens, she will just roll with it. Only when gets back will she turn back to the topic of movies.

    "Sorry, you had mentioned the 1950s. My studies were focused on the 1940s, particularly those movies about swing music, which have their origins in Vaudeville performances. You know the ones that are a bit more like a variety show than a normal story?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord gets up and walks over to Clara. "Do you know... ballroom dancing? Joan and I have taken lessons. Don't toy with me if you do." He runs to his desk and grabs a remote. Big band music begins playing. "We had a huge party at the Hellfire Club. I bought Joan a beautiful green dress and acquired an emerald necklace for her to wear... and we were just friends at that point. But I charmed her and two years later we gave dating a try. Only we're both workaholics. So many night we hang around here and watch the bots get smarter."

Joan Wright has posed:
Clothes distributed, Joan moves over towards her seat. While Clara gets changed, Joan's able to get a few more bites of dumpling in. YUM. The chopsticks lower as Clara comes back into the room and gives a bit more information about herself before Ted brings up the dance lessons. "The lessons did cut down on the amount of stepping on toes." Joan admits, smiling to Ted "And yes, we do tend to let work take over."

Glancing over to the doorway, Joan frowns to the sky and moves over. Seeing the stack of collected paper just near the entrance way, she sighs and stoops down, collecting them. She can't blame Bobo for that, he did get two completely different sets of orders after all. Plus she did give him an out with that rain clause. Joan glances to the papers. "I don't know what order these were or how many there were in but hopefully this is all of them."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is rather overwhelmed. It may become apparent she has, well, unusual issues She operates by a script, or set of them, and this... the forecast said no rain. At least the one her director gave her. But then again, it also said there was a scarab here.

    "I know several forms of dance. Oh. You, I see. You want a teacher?" She fidgets a lot. It's her hands. They are getting on her nerves. Now that the imperative of getting dry and dressed is done, there's just no clarity.

    The comment about the paper draws her attention. "Oh, they are just my favorite sheets. Wood-free coated paper with a matte coating made by PG Paper. They have such a good texture. And the scent is pleasing. Well. When they are not wet. Once they are wet they are rather useless."

    Her eyes drift to Ted, and then back to Joan. She is uncertain. Things are.. confusing. "I am not sure I understand if you wish to dance or eat. Can you clarify?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord ahs. Precision is called for. He's an engineer by trade and was being lax. "Okay I would like to dance with either you or Joan and then eat. Joan seems fixated on those dumplings, so I'll ask you and get her after I eat." Seriously, learn to read a room. Then again you often need speed reading with Ted. He tends to skimp on exposition. He usually has an assistant, named Melanie for that stuff but she went home.

Joan Wright has posed:
With the papers described as useless, she looks back to them to note the lack of writing. "...Ok." She walks over to the counter to set the stack of papers on the side. Their fate can be determined later. As Ted explains the desire to dance and that he plans to ask Joan AFTER she has a chance to eat the dumplings, she reaches a hand out to muss with Ted's hair briefly as she walks by. "I shouldn't be much longer." Joan assures as she continues towards her seat.

Ted may like cold food, but she'd rather have her food fresh....ish.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara stands watching for a moment. This is a bit surreal, perhaps, but to her, nearly her entire life is weird and rather nerve-wracking. "Well, then, so with this music, you are kind of into the swing side of things. If you wanted to do something like a foxtrot, well. Let's just try some swing. It is fun, but rather energetic."

    She will wait for Ted to step up and she looks over to Joan. She's very curious, trying to understand things that are unspoken. She is, however, just about socially blind in the non-obvious situations.

    Clara tilts her hed and notes, "You should lead, but before we get there, you will need to learn a few steps. Leading is difficult, you have make decisions, look out for your partner, and communicate. But I suspect you are going to do alright."

    And with that, Clara is ready. Oh, and once the dancing begins, she lets out a relieved sigh. Her hands have a place to be. She can stop worrying about them constantly. And she gets far more animated.

    She is even smiling. Weird.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord steps up and dances decently, even taking Clara through a gentle spin. He claps when the dance ends and bows to her. At that point the smallest bot, Bailey flies up to Ted and holds her hands out. Ted wonders briefly how a bot lacking legs can dance. Then he makes a note to make legs for the bots. He takes baily by her manipulators and dances a long, the robot floating beside him. She suddenly lets go and begins a spin of her own. Only she overdoes it, becoming a blur.

"Now you're just showing off. She's very fast," he explains. Bailey comes to a stop, wobbling a little.

Joan Wright has posed:
As the others dance, Joan takes the freed up time to finish off her plate. Fortunately Ted ordered more food than the two of them could possibly manage so there's much more left to pick from.

Taking up her plate, she moves it over to the sink area, setting it there for the time being before coming over to where Bailey acts like a top. Seeing the wobble, Joan looks over to Ted. "Think Bailey's stabilizer has room for improvement?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara finds the dancing robot to be, well, even more odd than the rest of this evening. "You really like machines," she observes. No longer dancing, she is again, herself. There is just a kind of constant anxiety that is easy to pick up on.

    "Oh, and you can dance now." She will head to the chair that was offered earlier. Sitting sounds good. As fascinated as she might be by robots, she is more interested in the dancing. She is clearly studying it.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord studies his youngest. He walks over to the wobbly little bot and plucks her out of the air. Bailey immediately shuts her thrusters off. He goes to the sofa. "I never built her to spin like that. She probably strained her inertial compass and gyros. They need a minute to reset after she runs a diagnostic. You've been updating, right Bailey? We're up to version 12. Are you on version 12? She has a habit of omitting information if you're vague." Bailey for her part, seems comfortable in Ted's lap, much like a cat. In fact she stretches and arm to grab that burger and hand it to Ted. "Thank you sweetie."

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan nods in confirmation to Bailey's tendency to withhold information. "Or if you're NOT vague." She adds in, giving a glance to Bailey. Joan looks over to Clara, "Well while Ted's looking into that and you're having something to eat, I'll go take care of those wet clothes. Are they dryer safe?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara has no idea. "They are light body armor, so I imagine they can take some heat?" She gets stabbed a lot. The light armor never really helps much, but it's still a thing she wears cause otherwise she gets yelled at more than usual.

    While eating she is relieved of her usual stress. After all, eating involves hands doing a thing. And she does not even need to talk. But sooner or later, that gets done and she is right back in trouble.

    After some more conversation and a whole bunch of stumbling from Clara, her armor is all ready to go. She tries not to make a fuss about it, but with the rain clear, her armor ready, and a ride on the way, Clara will slip away. But not without thanking Joan and Ted for their hospitality first.

    "You are both very kind. I hope you have a wonder evening, and if you need..." She looks uncertain. What is she good at? "If you need something that I can do, please contact me." She even does this neat trick where she gives Joan a business card. Which starts with just a blot of ink, but Clara uses her powers on it to elegantly script her name, number, and email. She has no social media.

    And then she is off! Via the elevator.