Participants:
| Scene Title | Everyone's a Terrorist |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Two friends catch up. One's a lot more optimistic than the other. |
| Date | March 25, 2018 |
Cat's Cradle
The early afternoon is quiet in Cat's Cradle. No ghostly illusions, no free joints being thrown out into the crowd. The sassy bartender has been shooed out, actually everyone has been shooed out. The crazy oracle said she had an old friend coming by, someone she needed alone time with and Eve's not sure her buddy would follow the breadcrumbs she could leave to the Oracle Room. So she's set up shop in the actual bar/venue space.
There's a space heater on filling the corner where she perches. Feet tucked underneath her in that old big armchair. A dress made of light material hangs on her body, she might have only woken up a little bit ago. Her midnight dark mane messy and her light gray eyes lidded. There's a half smoked spliff resting in a pale hand, smoke wafting up to the high ceiling.
She's humming along to Fleetwood Mac, closing her eyes as Stevie Nick's voice rings softly out of the speakers. Eve raises her voice to join in, "Now here you go again, you say. You want your freedom."
On the table in front of her sits a plate of freshly made Empanadas. From the other night, she learned to make them on a trip to Mexico. Having been warmed up the smell of meat and vegetables wrapped in a pastry sail through the air, mingling all around even being smelt by the entrance.
The door to the bar opens and Chess peers in, dark eyes sweeping the bar's interior for anyone she might want to avoid. That list is growing every day. It takes a moment to find Eve in the armchair, and an eyebrow raises, before Chess lets the door thud shut behind her.
"You must've known I was coming," she says wryly, moving forward through the space between herself and Eve, as she looks around at the bar with more interest now that it's not decked in green everywhere. "So you're a business owner and all legitimate these days, huh? I guess someone who can see the future knows what investments to make and which are shit, yeah?" She smiles, unslinging the courier bag that Eve knows is full of probably everything Chess cares about as well as odds and ends that make for good impromptu bombs. This is set on a nearby chair before Chess sits in one across from Eve. "Sorry I bailed the other night. It was all just a bit… extra."
The oracle continues to sing as Chess enters the bar, hand waving in the air as she does so, "Thunder only happens when it's raining. Players only love you when they're playing." She pulls the spliff down to take a big puff as Chess crosses the space between them, one light gray eye pops open to peek at the woman and she smiles that wide, all white smile and tilts her head.
"Boomer!" There's a clap on her leg as the young woman comes closer. "You've grown up! I forgot to tell you that last time." A wave of her hand and a cackle at Chess' opener about how a loon like her has a place like this, "You know I never dreamt the lottery numbers, I always wanted too." More money means more adventures.
"Bah! Don't you worry, I had to entertain the other guests," who knows if the entertainment in her mind also includes how she and Monica 'bounced' the frat guys out.
"Have," she spreads the spliff less hand towards the plate of food. "Some snacks!" There's a wide grin on her face as she puffs more on her spliff, the smoke curling around her face, evaporating before it reaches Chess but the smell is strong. Eve is serious about a few things in life, her weed being one of them.
"Yeah, I'm super responsible and everything," Chess says, tone sarcastic. The food is examined, but she doesn't pluck one of the empanadas up just yet.
"If you dream about the lottery numbers, lemme know and I'll buy in with you." She doesn't take off the leather jacket she wears that's a little too light of a coat for the chilly spring day outside, but she does pull off the green scarf she wears, laying it over the courier bag she's set in the other chair. "You have interesting friends. You trust that fed?" The question is a little too casually asked, as Chess drops her gaze to the plate of empanadas, studying them as if trying to pick out the perfect one.
"I'll take you up on that offer." And Eve squints her eyes at Chess. It's that she hasn't thought about it..
"I have many interesting friends," a fact that makes the woman chuckle as she takes more of a puff and blows out the smoke up above her. If Chess is worried about Cesar.. what would she do if she knew Eve was friends with say Gabriel or something. It tickles her and that shows from the expression on her face.
"Go on," She says softly to Chess, "Beef! Everyone loves beef." Doesn't really matter to her if that statement is false because she loves it! "Ooh you mean the Knight. Sir Cesar. Yes yes he is a good man." She wiggles her fingers at the war veteran, smoke trailing between her fingers. "You should be his friend, he needs them. You need them. We all need them." Whether that's just her talking, prophetic advice or observations on her new friend.
"Mm," says Chess to the decree that she should befriend Cesar. Or maybe to the fact she needs friends. Both are things she's skeptical about. She does finally select one of the empanadas, breaking off a corner to bring to her mouth.
"Think I'd rather not invite the badges into my life at the moment, if you know what I'm saying," she says around a mouthful of pastry and meat. "So maybe don't tell everyone what my ability is, because they might be on the look out for someone who may have caused a few explosions lately." She rolls her eyes slightly, as if to say this is all just a big misunderstanding. "He seems all right. You having any whispers or echoes about this new government we have?"
"Fair! But know that he is someone you can lean on, if needed." Eve ashes the spliff and leans forward to swipe her own treat biting into a corner. "Ah ah ah," She wags a finger in Chess' direction. "You've been naughty," but the tone that she says it in implies this sort of naughty she likes, make things go boom. "Sticking true to your name!" Eve couldn't be more proud before mimicking the motion of sealing her lips and locking it with a key, "My lips, are sealed."
Moving on to talks of their government, "I've been too busy time traveling, bringing wolves back to the city and dying and coming back to life to peer at them.. yet." There's time. How much, she's not totally sure of but.
"Do they worry you? A lot of people seem to like the new guys."
"Dying?" echoes Chess. The talk of wolves doesn't bother her, because she knows Eve speaks in metaphor more often than not. "Like literally? Be careful, okay? I mean, I know I haven't seen you in a few years but you're one of the few people I trust."
Her lips tilt upward at the corner into a smirk. "Well, trust is a strong word. Tolerate is maybe a better word."
As for the new guard, she shrugs a shoulder. "I don't know. Old habits die hard. I mean, I'm registered and legit and all, but don't want to live or work anywhere that's easy for them to find me. It's easier to bug the fuck out if I need to that way. So yeah, probably not going to buddy up to one of them on purpose. Unlike you, I wouldn't see them coming." She flashes a smirk at Eve at that.
It looks like Eve is debating on whether or not she wants to divulge more information about her recent adventures but that moment passes very quickly. She swallows down the food and holds off on another bite to deliver: “Well! I had my head cut off. By a man in a.. How long ago was it.. Like over a thousand years ago? Who brought me back from death the first time six years ago. Would you be confused?” Her expression serious as she leans in to stare at Chess in the eye before munching more of her snack. She looks pensive and then she’s nodding her head, “Adam and I have many things to discuss. I mean I was running around Australia looking for him and he didn’t have the decency to leave me a full bottle of sake. It was only //halfway full. He’s like a bajillion years old so I just was not aware he was so cheap!” Eve sniffs in the air at the thought of that horrible day, she was so frustrated and it would seem that Eve has been distracted from the rest of the conversation before she snaps back into focus.
“I promise I will try not to permanently die. I rather like living,” But she also really loves adventures and mischief. Waving her hand as she takes the final bite of her snack but makes sure that Chess knows to have more by nudging the plate over in her direction. She’s a witchy sort but she’s not trying to fatten Chess up for stew. But maybe for a quest.
“If the government decides to go back on the progress they’ve made.” Eve gets that wild look in her eyes, “We’ll blow em up ourselves.” In her mind she and Boomer would be an unstoppable team. “Watch out suits.”
The explanation (?) that Eve gives for dying makes Chess raise one eye, and then both, before reaching for the joint. "Jesus Christ, you're crazier than ever," she says matter-of-factly, before taking her own toke of what seems to be very good shit, then passes it back.
"So this was a dream I am guessing? Can you even separate dreams and future from awake time and present?" The question is an earnest one; she still isn't clear on how Eve's ability works and when or why.
"And hear hear. I mean, they seem okay but I don't know. A couple weeks back, this girl was sort of zipping around, teleporting, I guess, hadn't done anything wrong, and your knight dude was trying to hedge her in or something. She wasn't doing anything wrong but I guess they feel the need to earn their keep somehow."
“I..” Eve looks sad at the thought, “The lines do blur. Considerably more than when I first manifested. Only sixteen and wanting to lay on LL Cool J’s abs while singing along to Lauryn Hill.” she quips, “This was not a dream though dear Boomer, I traveled.” She waves her hand as she takes the joint of the good shit back and puffs more. “It’s.. hard to explain but believe me, this.. Happened. I’m sorting it out with a friend. Her name’s Dorothy, maybe you’ll meet her.” Eve loves connecting friends, obviously. “I can see clearly and remember clearly what I see but at times I get flashes, ‘memories’ of the dreams. Echoes in the waking world. They can have.. Consequences,” she says with a light wince, tapping her temple and thinking back to Doc at the Institute.
As for Cesar and.. “Are you talking about Hopper?” She snaps forward and hands the joint to Chess as she blows the smoke out of her mouth. “Um.. Eimi. Young thing, rough exterior, mushy inside. Tough kid.” It feels like she’s describing Chess. “She’s a sweet thing, hangs here.” Doesn’t live, she doesn’t say that. “Sir Knight Cesar should not be harassing Eve friends.” It’s a no no. “Next time you see him acting up, lemme know.” That’s ominous.
Chess finishes her empanada but doesn't reach for another one yet. "Okay. Well, try not to get your head chopped off in the past or in the future or in the present, yeah? In case it was just one of your weird-ass visions trying to warn you about someone with a sword. I mean, I feel like that should be a given — watch out for fucking swords, but maybe your subconscious mojo felt you needed an extra note on it."
She shrugs at the name Eimi. "That might be her. She had some friends there and they got out of dodge, so all's well that ends well, I guess. Monica… I only know her a little bit, but if she trusts him, he might be all right." Might be. But Monica also didn't used to have an arm that costs more than this entire block. Chess sounds skeptical.
"Hm." Is what she says to whether or not it was Eimi or not. Perhaps another teleporter that's causing a ruckus, Eve imagines it's easy to be a trickster with that ability. Much like it is with her own.
Monica is brought up and Eve smiles widely, "Ahh she is sweet! We use to blow up buildings together in PARIAH. You can totally trust her, with your life. She doesn't blow up.. buildings anymore with terrorists." Saying this in a loud whisper to Chess.
Eve finally takes another empanada but damn near eats the whole thing immediately. Engrossed in the snack.
"Everyone's a terrorist until they realize we were right, right?" Chess says — because they were considered traitors until they won in the civil war, too.
She leans forward so she can pull out the business cards she has in the back pocket of her jeans, tossing a couple onto the table next to the plate of empanadas. "In case you need to call me like a normal person," she says. The cards simply say Demolitions Expert and a phone number. Apparently name recognition isn't something Chess seeks — probably obvious given very few people know her real first name; even fewer know her last name.
"You know, in case you run into someone with a sword and need him knocked the fuck out," she adds.
Eve has partially disconnected.
"We were right Boomer. We really were." It's as simple as that and Eve takes a moment to reflect on that, eyes far as she thinks about those first days of the initial war. She will never forget it. As Chess offers her a business card with her number on it, "Oh thanks! I always knew where to find you hehe," she winks at Chess. The younger woman is loud.
"You know, I'm in the middle of a bunch of muck. Horse shit, it's a metaphor but still." Eve takes the card and slips it into her bra for safe keeping.
"I might call you before you know." Like.. next week who knows!
As they exchange information the rowdy sounds of Juvenile Back Dat Azz Up comes on and Eve turns the volume up with a remote. "Girlllllllll, get up!" The crazy lady shimmies as she gets up from the chair to go dance in the center of the room dragging Chess with one hand and a new joint with another.