On Trust

Participants:

aric_icon.gif monica_icon.gif

Scene Title On Trust
Synopsis A pair of Endgamers have some deepish discussion.
Date August 23, 2010

Blue Moon Cafe


The Blue Moon Cafe is mellow this later afternoon, as Philip is in the kitchen cooking away while Aric is helping a guest. The smell of jasmine, rose, chocolate and cherries linger in the air. "It is a wonderful piece. It is 300 years old and is said to have been the gift to his wife on their wedding night." The man he is speaking with smiles and nods, "I will take it." As Aric smiles he nods, "Wonderful. I know for a fact she will love it. When you guys were here she was oogling over it while you were in the bathroom."

Aric moves to the counter and begins to take out the needed paperwork, "We shall have it insured, and registered for you before you leave. A one of a kind investment like this must be protected in this day and age." As he continues with the paper work, "IT will come to with taxes, registeration and the item….$5700." The man nods slightly as he hands Aric the credit card and the owner goes to work.

Fellow Endgamer Monica slips into the shop sometime during this transaction, with enough time to trip a little as the price is named. She blinks a bit and looks over at Aric with a bit of a smile. There's a wave, too, but she's not trying to interrupt. She's just perusing her way along toward the cafe, checking it all out. Now, she is from New Orleans, so it isn't as though the occult is entirely foreign to her. But crystals and cards seem to be. It's pretty obvious.

As the experience comes to an end, Aric escorts the man to the door and holds it open for him. "Thank you for much for coming today Marc. If there is anything….ANYTHING I can do to make sure this joyous time in your life is everything it can be please call me. The business phone with it's hours are in the bag with the insurance papers and everything." The man shakes Aric's hand and exits as he turns towards Monica with a soft smile. "Come for my famous chocolate brownies or a Death by Chocolate Latte?" Aric extends his hand to Monica and says, "Monica wasn't it?"

Taking that hand, Monica gives him a firm shake, "That's me, alright. How've you been?" She smiles, too, and gives the shop a sweeping gesture. "I mostly came out of curiosity. But that Death by Chocolate thing sounds awesome. Brownies, too, huh? You're going to be making it hard to stay in shape, I hope you know that."

Aric smiles, "I have a gym upstairs and I run 5 miles a day. You can come and work out with me anytime." As Aric walks towards the coffee cafe, "Come on in…make yourself at home. As for how I have been? I can't complain and when I do…most don't listen." Aric takes out a large cup and begins to make a mocha latte." He pulls out fudge brownies with cherry filling in the middle and sets it on a plate. "How are you?"

He takes out what looks like homemade just whip creme and places some on top of the coffee and a large piece of fudge and what looks like a cheese garter. He begins to place real fudge shavings on top of the whip creme.

"You have a gym upstairs?" Now that gets an impressed whistle from Monica. "I usually work out down at Coco's. The boxing gym. It's nice to show all those manly type that they aren't the only ones who can throw a punch." She folds her arms on the counter as she watches the latte-making process, fascinated, apparently. But she is just watching, not letting her ability watch. "I'm doing pretty good. Sort of… debating some life choices at the moment. It's all very heavy and philosophical."

As he takes up the brownie and the latte, Aric moves over towards the tables and places it at a setting and holds out the chair for her. "Well your at that age where you need to decide on where you want to make a different or….your mark. You get that away again in your 40's and again before you die. Should be interesting…its a journey." Aric moves to his chair when she chooses to sit down.

Coming over to take that seat, Monica smiles over at him. "I just… you know, you try to be normal? And you try to be… extraordinary at the same time. It doesn't always work out very well. Something always suffers," her hands wrap around the drink, her shoulders lifting in a shrug. "It has been a journey. But I hope I don't have to go through all this again at forty. It's tiring."
"I have been hiding extraordinary for years and just have been considered wierd." He runs a hand through his hair and slides off his sandles and sits in an Indian Style manner. "Normal is over ratted I have found out. The question is what do "you" want to do in life. What makes you the happiest?" Aric raises an eyebrow curiously in question.

"Oh," Monica starts with a light laugh, "Heck, I don't know." She pauses there for a drink, which gets an impressed look, complete with lifted eyebrows. It is, apparently, a good latte. "I just know I have to do something, you know? I've always known that. The right thing, I guess."

Aric hmmms as he says, "Your thinking too literal. I asked you what makes your HAPPY? Singing? Dancing? Drawing? Playing sports? Helping people out?" He leans in slightly showing his curiousity.

"Ah," Monica says, a puzzled look coming over her face. "You mean in a less intense sense than saving the day and fighting the good fight, huh?" Her brow furrows, like she's really never sat down and thought about this before. But, when she looks back at him, there's a bit of a smile on her face. "I really like parkour."

"The physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible." Aric hmmms softly and says, "It would not have been my first choice for you yet each to their own. When was the last time you practiced it for fun? Not battling evil or bad guys?" Aric folds his hands in his lap.

"Just for fun? Oooh, it's been a couple months. I mostly use it to get around on the rooftops," Monica admits with a bit of an embarrassed look about her. "What would have been your first choice, out of curiosity?"

'I don't know…your very athletic looking. Perhaps a sport professionally? I mean I could cheat and look inside yet I promised I wouldn't. You would have to tell me." He smirks softly as Philipa comes out from the kitchen to bring Aric some tea. He smiles up at the woman, "Thank you Philipa. That will be all. Clean the dishes and take the garbage out and you can head home." She smiles and nods as she disappears again.

"I don't know about professional sports. I mean, I'd probably have to get all tested and then they'd probably… I mean… I sort of cheat with what I do," Monica says, her voice dropping to a whisper. She straightens up some as the woman comes out, falling silent, but giving her a warm, friendly smile nonetheless. Secretive, this one.

As the woman disappears, Aric takes up his tea and hmmms, "Well you know what I can do and if people knew they would never trust me again." He sips his tea as he drops his voice and asks, "Would you consider it wrong of me to ask…what is your talent?"

Monica watches and sips as the women goes about her own way, but as Aric speaks again, she looks his way. "People are funny about your ability, it's true. But I find it isn't so much the ability, but the person. You know what I mean? You seem like a perfectly stand up guy to me." And in truth, she doesn't seem worried at all. But then, she's also not one of those people with a lot of sensitive info upstairs. "Oh, mine? I'm a mimic. It's called Adoptive Muscle Memory. It's… pretty incredible, actually," she says, a smile coming to her face there. She's proud of it and it doesn't take telepathy to see that. "If I can watch it, I can do it."

Aric blinks as he sits back slightly in his chair to absorb that information as he cocks his head to the side. Aric finally says softly, "That is rather amazing…you could do anything you wanted then…I am not sure what the challenge is then. I mean the possibilities must be endless for you."

"In a way. There's still… a lot to learn that I can't… absorb that way. But having it, having this… if makes me feel responsible. I can't sit idly by, you know? I can learn in ten minutes things it takes people a lifetime to master. Don't you think that means something?" Monica asks in hushed tones as she leans over toward him a bit.

Aric leans in towards Monica and nods slowly, "Yes….but I learned while in China it is part of the journey for us to discover where and how we can find that meaning. The talent in which you have is a gift many would die to have…me I can just hear and see what people are thinking. No one's secrets are hidden from me. You could master anything that could over time be used to save lives. I kind of envy you Monica."

"Oh… don't… envy me. I mean, it's cool and everything, but reading minds is something people have dreamed of for centuries. This is just…" Monica waves her hand instead of finishing her sentence, and she props her chin up in her other hand. "I've been worried. About registering. I worry about what happens when the powers that be find out about what I do. Which may sound paranoid, but. Well." She's paranoid.

Aric nods slowly as he sighs himself, "I am a bit worried myself. I am hoping I can avoid it as much as I can. I keep putting it off in hopes they will call it off. I am worried they will take me for the government or whatnot when they learn what I can do."

"Right? God, I hope not." Monica lets out a heavy sigh at those last words of his, and she shakes her head. "I just don't know what to do. They say the only way to fight a law is to oppose it. Break it, you know? But the risks… my family… And what lawyer's going to take that case. Monica Dawson verses the US Government."

Aric smiles, "My place is a place you can always come and crash at upstairs. It is not the Palace Hotel but it is safe and most don't know it exists." He sips his tea and says, "Tell me how do you like our…"friends"? I am still getting to feel them out and not really sure to know what to make of them yet. Liz has a really good heart. I can tell you that from…well I know. Yet Cardinal I have only gotten minor surface stuff. He seems like a man who wants to do good and has been hurt so many times he can't."

"Oh, Liz is great. I really like her. Liked her the first time I met her. Peyton, too. And Niki, well, Niki's family." Which puts her on the special shelf, apparently. "Rich… I think he's doing the best he can. It ain't exactly an easy job, what he's given himself. But I think he's trying to do what's right. I wouldn't be here, otherwise. It's like being a soldier. Sometimes… sometimes the job is real ugly. But you fight the war all the same." Monica's expression droops a little there, but she shakes it off after a moment. "Anyway, the ones that I've met? I trust them. And this life… it's better with a group. Safer."

Aric nods, "Liz is a good woman. I have only gotten to meet Peyton a few times. And…well they say family is the most important thing in one's life." Aric's eyes grow empty for a moment as he shakes off the look and smiles, "I have not lead much of a soldier's life Monica yet I am willing to do what I must so I don't get thrown in cage. I just don't think they trust me enough to help as I could…if that makes sense."

Reaching over, Monica puts her hand on Aric's arm. "Trust comes in time. On both sides. You'll see." Her smile is warm and encouraging, giving the impression that, for her at least, trust comes pretty easy. "I'm not much of a soldier, either, truth be told. But… you learn."

Aric moves her hand gently and says, "Nothing personal. Sometimes touch makes it easier for things to get through to me." He takes up his tea and sips it, "So tell me how are you related to Niki? You guys seem close yet…well you don't look related."

"Oh, sorry," Monica says, genuinely meaning it, too, as she pulls her hand back. But his words that follow make her smile again. "Yeah, I guess we don't," she says with some amusement. "Niki married my cousin. Which may seem like a sort of distant connection, but not in this family. The Dawson clan is very close. Niki's part of that. And she's all the family I've got in the city, so."

Aric looks down at his hand and says softly, "No it's ok. I just…well I try to keep my promise. I didn't want anything getting through to me that you didn't want me to know." He relaxes some at the explaination of her family and their situation as he says, "That's awesome…no so much for my family yet we all get our own friends and family as time goes on."

"It's okay. I'm not… worried about your power, Aric. Or you," Monica says with a crooked smile. "Yeah, I've always been grateful for my family. It's good to have people that will support you and help you out. Blood or not. Although, you realize your life's a little strange when your grandmother is tending to bullet wounds and such. So, I think this situation might be a little better."

Aric blinks as he cocks his head, "You have been shot?"

"Oh yeah. I've been shot a couple times. I've got a nice scar from the last one, right through my shoulder." Monica seems pretty… relaxed about the whole idea of getting shot at. "Don't let the movies fool you, it hurts. And it makes moving your arm really hard."

Aric hmmms as he stands and moves into the shop. Aric says, "Be right back." He can be heard gathering something or perhaps looking for something. His head pops over the row of books, "Describe the hurt?" His head disappears again.

Monica blinks when he gets up, wondering if she perhaps upset him somehow. But then he pops up again and she chuckles a little before she sets in to think. "Well, at first it's like… fire. You just sort of feel this burning shock of pain. And it sort of echoes out. And then when you try to move it just starts all over again. Sort makes you want to curl up in a ball until it goes away."

As he moves from around the aisle, he shakes his head, "No your arm now?" He disappears down a different aisle as the echo of glass and the smell of medicine seems to fill the air. The soft hum of a man who is working escapes his lips.

"Oh, now? Well, most of the time it's okay. I do a lot of physical therapy. But on bad days, it's really stiff. I have to work it out in the mornings. And if it gets tweaked or anything, it gets sore. Sort of a dull throb." Monica says, subconsciously rolling her shoulder as it's discussed.

Aric nods as he comes around holding a bag filled with a paste. He sets it on the table and says, "When you find your shoulder is hurting. I want you to rub this paste on the area that hurts. Its an old Chinese remedy I learned while I was in China. It is not going to fix it but it will help it through the hard times and make it bareable."

Monica lifts her eyebrows and she smiles up at him. "Well, look at you. Thank you." Her fingers reach for it, but she stops short and looks over at him again. "How much do I owe you?"

Aric smiles and says, "Consider it on the house as a gift between friends. Besides no one should have to suffer from pain when they are trying to do good work. If you find it is helpful…please let me know. I will make you some more as needed."

"That's very kind," Monica says, her smile gentler. "Thank you. I'll let you know how it works out." She does take it then, sliding it into a pocket. "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in return. But if you ever need a security guard around the place," she says with a quirk to that smile.

Aric smiles and nods as he sits back and says, "So would you like your cards read?" Aric produces a set of Tarot Cards as he begins to shuffle them.


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