5978/Drinks and Swanky Snacks

Drinks and Swanky Snacks
Date of Scene:	19 April 2021
Location:	The Public House - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Roland, Xi'an and Yelizaveta get to know each other over drinks.
Cast of Characters:	Roland Livingston, Yelizaveta Vorobey, Xi'An Coy Manh

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Roland Livingston has posed:
The Public House is not too busy, seeing as how it's a Sunday night. That's not to say it's empty, however, as there are a bunch of people throughout the joint enjoying quiet conversations, drinks and food. It is amidst this that Roland has found himself on a stool at the bar, a smoked old fashioned currently be brought up towards his mouth for a sip. The young man clearly enjoys the taste of the classic American cocktail. Not that he's American himself. Oh no. Roland is an Englishman and by the way he starts talking after tasting his drink his accent puts him in the British upper class. "That's why when your jet is out of commission you should hire another instead of flying commercially. Not only is it easier to bring everything you need aboard a private flight, but Nazi terrorists don't hijack your flight, put a bomb vest on you and then force you to mangle them to save the other passengers. I never did make it to the West Coast."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
For some, Sunday night is their Friday night. At least as much as certain things count. An EXTREMELY pale young woman walks in, shadowed a few steps later by another woman. She wears a "little black dress" that hangs off her tiny frame in a way that puts most LBDs to shame, ending just past propriety and showing off ridiculously toned legs tipped by black heels. It's a dress made for nice clubs. The woman herself looks around with openly wide, energetic eyes; taking in the leather seats and wood paneling, the music and the lighting, the people and the energy. She closes those eyes as she takes a deep breath, her small bust rising with the action before she lets it all out with a spirited "Ahhhh!" and actually skips in her heels towards the bar. Behind her her "companion" rolls her eyes before following more slowly, eyes searching the room - screaming "bodyguard" with her every motion.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Xi'an Coy Manh has dressed up for this trip, but in a curiously... brisk sort of way. She is wearing a qipao style dress, albeit in grey and with minimal embroidery. Her hair has been pinned up. She is not wearing much in the way of makeup and she seems to be here in order to meet someone, based on the fact that she has checked her phone approximately 120 times in the last forty-two minutes.

Finally her phone makes a sound. She looks at it and her expression ripples with complete, utter, fundamental disgust, as if she has just been told that her car is back in the shop because it has been full of squirrels, with the good news being that the squirrels have been fumigated.

Shan's eyes close, and she takes two full, deep breaths, and then she opens them again. The phone is slipped into a discreet pocket in the dress, and she tunes in to Roland's conversation, resting her chin in one hand. She glances at the door as it comes in, but seems relaxed further yet when she espies the person coming in. Not who she had expected, it seems.

"Are you certain they were Nazi terrorists? I'm told you should say 'right wing' these days," Shan advances to Roland, letting her French accent sit in the foreground today, for fun. "Or perhaps, anxious."

Roland Livingston has posed:
The woman entering with the personal protection following her seems to catch Roland's eye. The adventurous young man lifts his glass towards her, a smile forming on his face. He does not allow his gaze to linger too long, however, as he's got a very important conversation going on.

On the subject of terrorists he says, "They had kidnapped scientists or engineers or some such to make them weapons designed specifically to kill a certain genetically distinct group of people. Even if they didn't call themselves Nazis, I can't think of a better term for them. They're all in custody or dead now, hopefully."

With a shrug he goes on, "Not the usual sort of villains I find myself dealing with, but I'm quite glad I was able to take out my frustration at being captured on them. From what I understand two of the three I subdued lost hands and the the third may be paralyzed from the neck down." His waves a hand almost dismissively, "My lawyer has confirmed with the State Department and constabulary that my actions were all legal."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Yelizaveta Vorobey lands at the bar, her pale, baked-smooth hands resting on its surface. She seems full of vibrant joy, a creature in its natural world, radiating palpable energy despite her tiny stature. "Wodka!" she orders exuberantly as she reaches the dark wood structure. Behind her the other woman rolls her eyes as she reaches into a jacket pocket to pull out a billfold. "Wodka?" the younger woman asks as she looks up down the bar, cornflower blue eyes searching for those of the current inhabitants; her finger pointing at each in turn as her hair rests loosely on her shoulders and hangs down her back.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Oh, dear," Shan says with a cluck of her tongue. "How did you manage that? Sword direct, or else were you using some sort of technique?" She seems to have a polite but faint skepticism about Roland's explanation - she's buying it for now, but with reserve.

"Hallo madame," Shan calls to Yelizaveta, then. "Do you want the drinks menu?" She holds up a leather bound example of this with one hand, using the other to beckon Yeli a little closer.

Roland Livingston has posed:
At the pale woman's offer of vodka Roland grins and nods towards her, "Please and thank you." He finishes off his current drink in anticipation of a new glass of booze. "I'll cover the next round."

Then he looks towards Shan and says, "I struck the first one in the neck hard enough to render them unconscious and break some bones, drew the knife from his vest and lopped off the next one's hand. Then I tossed the blade into the gun hand of the next fellow before kicking him in the face." There's a soft chuckle, "Typically, I prefer a longsword when engaging in hand to hand combat but one must make do."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Yelizaveta Vorobey tilts her head at Shan's question, those open eyes darting to the menu briefly, but then to the bar behind the bar and the bottles there and she shakes her head with a beatific smile. "Wodka!" she replies with a very girlish giggle. "Is best... for... out? For..." her left hand moves in a circular fluttering motion as she seems to try and think of the words, "for... out!" She uses both hands to gesture to the bar around them. The woman with her is putting cash down for the bartender as well as getting out what look like a pair of passports to show. Yeli points at Roland with one hand and at her own nose with the other as he accepts, the content of his further narrative appearing to blow completely past the young woman. Instead she drops the hand pointing at herself and turns the other towards the small Asian woman. "Wooooooodka?" she asks with a guileless grin.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Une petit vodka, si vous plait," Shan informs Yelizaveta, with an additional, "Parlezvous francais?" to go with it.

"True, but all of this was on your private jet, wasn't it?" Shan says to Roland. "So you would have had to deal with the confines. You would have been better served with a saber or a rapier, perhaps, in that environment."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Wonderful!" Roland says to Yelizaveta with a smile. "Vodka is a terrific drink when you're out on the town. No carbohydrates, high alcohol content and the good stuff doesn't leave you with much of a hangover, does it?"

The young Englishman looks over to the other woman and shakes his head, "I was aboard a commercial flight when they attacked. Some of the flight attendants had plastic guns and took the other passengers hostage so I had to bide my time until I could act. They had us in a salt mine, strapped a bomb vest to me and some others until some kindly blue fellow snuck through the wall and disarmed them. Once I didn't have to worry about the innocents being blown up we attacked the Nazi terrorists. There were some other superhero types there with the blue man."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Yelizaveta claps her hands as the other woman acquiesces and gestures back to the bartender, holder her hands out in an elongated motion as she points at a rather lovely bottle behind the bar trying to signal for the whole thing, then whipping her finger around in circles and pointing down the bar. Some things are universal. "Un... ah.. peu..." she replies to the question in French, holding up her fingers very close togther to indicate how much. "Pour la plupart... Ballonne -" she says lifting up on to the very tip of one heeled shoe and bouncing effortlessly, "ouvert -" she adds, opening her arms in a very fluid motion to embrace the bar occupants, before letting them fall. "Ahhh..." More hand fluttering. "Pour? Pour le ballet."

Roland's words are listened to with fucus, but don't seem to be received as much with comprehension. They are, however, received with a shining, porcelain smile.

The glasses of clear, crisp liquor are filled and handed out, and the half bottle remainder set down on the bar near her tiny figure. "Za fstryétchoo!" she exclaims as she holds up her glass to the others before downing it in one graceful yet abrupt motion.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Oh, of course, that makes sense," Shan says to Roland, although something about what he is saying shifts gears into 'I am humoring a probably-sort-of-accurate story from this Englishman' into 'wait, hold on, for real?' when he mentions a kindly blue fellow, in particular. "Oh is that so? What was he like? That must be exciting, to meet real super-heroes, like that. Though it sounds like you are practically one yourself."

"Spasibo, khorosho," Shan tells Yelizaveta, before admitting mostly to Roland but also to Yelizaveta, "If my uncle were here, this would be easier, but he would probably charge a considerable sum for translation. I am Shan, and yourself?" she says, before taking the glass, raising it in salute, and -- sipping it.

"So you are with the ballet? What troupe?" Shan asks Yelizaveta.

Roland Livingston has posed:
Accepting the glass of vodka, Roland smiles and prepares to drink. At Yelizaveta's toast the Englishman lifts his glass in the air and says, "Cheers!" Then he pours the crystal liquid down his throat.

"Ballet?" He asks. "Very good! Mon nom est Roland. My name is Roland."

He looks towards Shan and says, "Pleasure to meet you. Roland Livingston, at your service." Going on he says, "Didn't get to speak with him much, but he seemed to be concerned for people's safety. Incredibly strong, as well. The others that I met seemed like good people." When she suggests he's a like a superhero himself Roland can't help but smile, "I'm a professional adventurer and scholar of the arcane. Trained from childhood to deal with nearly any contingency."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Yelizaveta Vorobey's eyes light up at Shan's couple words in Russian. It didn't see like she could become more energetic, but it's like her porcelain skin nearly glows in the dark bar lighting. "Ne dumay ob etom! Ehhh... Is velcome!" As her companion backs off into the shadows a bit, eyes watching everyone and everything Yelizaveta nervously smooths down the filmy fabric of her dress and refills her glass before pushing the bottle towards the others. Poking a tiny finger between her breasts she replies, "Am... nyet... " she says with a passing frown as she shakes her head. "My name is? Yes? My name is Yelizaveta. I... dance vit... Vit Kirov. Kirov dance... dance at Met." She looks uncertain, but then more confident as she reviews her words in her mind. "Nice to meet... meeting? Nice to meeting, Shan. Nice to meeting Roland!"

The vodka is crisp and strong, the club definitely doesn't stint on quality.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Ah," Shan says, seeming to settle for a moment at the news of the blue man's strength. "Really! How does that pay? Or is it a situation where you have such questions occur to you, you aren't enough of a professional?" she continues to Roland, with a faint smile as if to say she is being like this on purpose.

"What do you study in, the arcane?"

To Yelizaveta, Shan asks, gradually but not over-slowly, "I understand. You must have had quite a time getting over here. Are you also here, for a meeting, perhaps?" A thought seems to cross her mind that makes her grimace, but not at Yelizaveta.

She accepts a small refill but she only had a little nip to begin with.

Roland Livingston has posed:
As the bottle is passed his way Roland refills his glass, then offers the liquor along. "A pleasure to meet you, Yelizaveta," he tells the woman. "I'll have to come see you perform some time. Kirov, was it?"

There's a little laugh as the Englishman explains, "Family money based on investments, some of which are hundreds of years old. We used to scour the Earth looking for mystical knowledge and enchanted artifacts while slaying the occasional monster. I'm all that's left of us, sadly, but I'm working to carry on the family business and to pass on our hard earned knowledge. In the event I don't get a chance to have children of my own I'd like to preserve as much of what I can remember as possible." He grins, "I study every field of magic I can, but I have a slight specialty in the history of magic dating back to the late middle ages. Even as technology has evolved magic has changed and grown with it. For the most part. There are periods throughout history where magic has far outpaced science in terms of capabilities, but most practitioners horde their findings and so lifetimes of work can be lost with the death of one person who chooses to take their secrets to the grave."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Yelizaveta Vorobey seems to take her second glass of vodka a little slower herself, though amazingly for her size she doesn't seem overly concerned about the liquor. Habit?

She does seem to appreciate Shan's slower pacing though, her eyes very focused on the other woman, on the pair, as they talk to her, the faster conversation seemingly ignored by her. "Da, Kirov! Ahhh.. metting? No... ah.." Again the hand flutters at her petite breast. "Tour. Ahhh... New York. ahh..." she points upwards before gesturing a larger circle, "Got'ham, Starlink, Bostone."

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Really! Have you ever summoned a demon or anything like that? If you have, you're in the right place," Shan tells Roland. "What is it that you think separates 'magic' from 'technology'? I have heard it said that technology is itself magic, but I think that was making a philosophical point."

Back to Yelizaveta, to whom she says, "Oh I see, very nice. Very nice indeed. Are there tickets for sale?" After a moment, she adds, "Starlink? I don't think I recognize the name."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"So you're on tour, that's quite good," Roland says to the dancer with a soft smile before he takes a drink of his vodka. "How do you like the States? I'm afraid during my trips to Russia I never picked up the language. Killed a vodyanoy who'd destroyed a dam back in the sixteen hundreds and flooded a small village whose smith was alleged to have made magical horseshoes. I was unable to find any proof of that. Drownings in the area decreased quite a bit after that trip, though, so there is that."

At Shan's remark Roland can't help but laugh, "No. No hellfire for me. I don't wield arcane powers of any sort, too much temptation to take shortcuts that could put undeserving people in danger." The other question gives him pause, "Magic tends not to obey the same laws as science. Or religion, generally. There are still rules to it, but they're quite a bit different." After thinking for another moment he says, "'Advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, right? Arthur C. Clarke said that one, if I remember correctly."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
For all her ignoring, Yeli does seem to catch the word "demon" in the conversation between the two, but is then distracted by the question from the other woman. "Starlink City? Ahhh... Star bridge? Many sciences?"

Roland gets more of a flat stare. A lot to dissect there for someone who doesn't speak much english, and even for someone who does... "Magic... shoes..." she repeats a little slowly. In the background her minder suddenyl reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a cell phone, appearing to answer it in clipped tones.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan replies to Roland, thoughtfully, "But does this make it different, fundamentally? I know that the laws of Newton describe what we can see with our eyes directly; you have to turn to Einstein only when you go very large, or very small. Perhaps the 'arcane' is only something similar to that. And as for religion..."

Shan doesn't say anything about religion.

"Oh is that so? He wrote 2001, right?" Shan asks Roland, BUT THEN:

"Ah! Metropolis. I know, the name must sound like 'city city' in Russian. Perhaps that is the Russian name? I know several Russians from school, but I had never thought to ask -" She stops, seeing the phone, and finishes her drink.

"I have to have a /hideous/ meeting here in about twenty minutes," Shan tells Roland. "Will you be hanging around? If I indicate things, please, chop off my head. It's that kind of a meeting." She does not sound like she's being serious about wanting death.

Roland Livingston has posed:
The stare doesn't seem to phase Roland much. One has but to try conversing with another to see what they can pick up. The magic shoes thing gets a grin, however, "Da. Magic shoes. Made for horses."

Then he looks at Shan and nods, "I'll certainly be on standby. I'm certain someone here has a sword I can borrow."

Yelizaveta Vorobey has posed:
Excuse... Yeli says as the phone us thrust in front if her face. She steps off to the side, the skirt of her dress bouncig at her thighs. Those fluent might pick out comments about costume design and make up.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan's phone buzzes - and she tells Roland, sincerely, "Thank you. If I leave with him, stop me, please."

Ominous. (Roland can see Shan meet an older man, clearly a relative of some kind. They have an animated dinner conversation in Vietnamese.)

(The man does not leave with her.)