Job Offer
| Job Offer | |
|---|---|
| Players | Temporary Office Faith meets an Accorded human and reveals her nature, Gareth gets a job offer and learns a little about vampires. |
+----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ There's been a brief phone call between Gareth and Faith - detailed supplied by Darwin, possible work, evening appointment. None of this is particularly odd to Gareth, the man with forever broken sleep patterns. There are a few places around the city he can hire meeting rooms from, and the one he's picked today is in a nondescript office building on the east side of town. A *little* more rundown than perhaps he'd like, but it's a private space, no one asks too many questions, and he can set up easily enough. He's actually on time for once, sat at a faux-wood coffee table with a takeaway cup of coffee, a notepad, and the lights dimmed down, hiding the obviously fake plant in the corner of the room. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Faith is very punctual, and arrives at almost exactly the time she said she would. The professional tone at the end of the phone might not exactly conjure to mind the image of this woman with pale skin, a black hoodie and a pair of sunglasses on at this time of night, but here she is anyway, with a satchel bag over her shoulder. Once she's within the building proper, she makes her way to the arranged office promptly. "Good evening," comes that same soft tone, professional and polite, "Mister Evans?" +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth stops clicking the pen he has in his hands as Faith enters, the man rising from his seat like a particularly nervous heron to give her a curious once-over, eyes thoughtful as he looks at her. Whatever he observes he keeps to himself for now, offering a hand. "Gareth, please, Mr. Evans was my father," he says with practiced ease, almost practiced enough to hide the twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Ms. Wilson, I presume?" he asks, the Chicago-native accent clear in his voice. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Regarding him from behind those shades, Faith spends a moment in contemplation before accepting the hand with her own. It's a brief clasp, though her hand is notably cold. "Gareth, then," she agrees after a moment. "And you may call me Faith, if you wish." Once her hand is withdrawn, she lifts both of them the hood of her hoodie finally lowered, her straight black hair smoothed over a moment. "I've heard you're good at locating people? Both Darwin and Solomon Jessup have suggested so." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth gestures to one of the seats, taking his own. "Ah," he says at the recommendations, a quirk of a smile coming to his face. "I'm not surprised Darwin would say so, but Professor Jessup's endorsement comes at a slight surprise. A pleasant one, however." He gives a little nod. "It is what I like to think I am best at, yes." Once seated, his foot begins jiggling on the floor, bouncing his knee. It's not maybe enough to move the table, but it is noticeable. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Once invited, she takes the seat with a smooth motion, setting herself down. "Well there you go. Apparently you're making a name for yourself." She reaches into her bag then, withdrawing a file folder that she has prepared. "The person I want to find is potentially dangerous -- actually, before we begin, did Darwin mention me at all?" She wonders, posing the question as an idle curiosity before getting into the details, while she sorts through whatever she has prepared. The bouncing let is noted, but she doesn't draw any attention to it at this point. +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth gives a slightly warmer smile. "Well, making a name for one's self is both good and bad, because it means people start to notice you." There's a wry grin before he leans forwards, setting his elbows on the table. "He did not, but Darwin has always been... private about his associations. Which, considering my line of work, I approve of." There's a small shrug of one shoulder, giving the woman another once over, tapping his pen against his hand. "Should I assume..." he considers his words carefully, "...the evening meeting, the sunglasses, and all else, draw the conclusion I think they do? How do you feel about Italian food?" he asks. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ The folder is placed down, and the smile that appears on Faith's face is something of a thin thing, amused and, if we're being honest, perhaps a touch predatory. Her little folder is set down on the desk. "Let us put all our cards on the table shall we? You are aware of the Accords in this city, I have been told. You have become a part of them now? This is all very strange to me too, I have to admit. But, perhaps better, in some ways. Though -- I promise you there's nothing strange about the person I'm looking for, as far as I am aware." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth watches that smile change and gives a small nod of his head. "If you think it's strange, think how I feel, finding out my closest friend could crush my skull in his teeth if he wanted," he remarks wryly. He doesn't lean back from Faith, still watching her thoughtfully. "Well, we're all a little strange in our own way," he disputes with the edge of a shiver before he looks down at the folder. "Are they mixed up in something strange, potentially?" he wonders. "Or is it totally irrelevant?" +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ The edge to the smile does fade, becoming something that might be genuinely amused. "Oh, I have some idea of how it might feel, and no doubt it's just as odd for you to learn about ... everything. It's just so unusual for me to talk so openly with someone like you." A pause, and she shakes her head. "No. A man named Julian Taylor owes me money for some things I did for him, and he's decided to hide rather than pay me. And his friends have proved to be surprisingly loyal. They're young, really, wanna be gangsters." She pushes the folder forward. "In here are photos of him and a few of his friends. One named Luke, and one named Jon. I have very little information on them in truth, as it's best in my work not to ask too many questions. All I want to know is where Julian is." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth's own smile turns into something of wry amusement. "Someone like me, huh? 'Herd' as I've been called once or twice?" he says with a flick of his fingers towards the window. He shrugs it off easily enough though, flicking over the folder with one hand and starting to pore through it, taking a careful look at each of the photographs. "That seems... simple enough," he says cautiously before he looks back to her. "I have some questions. Firstly, is this about the money he owes you, or the principle of the matter?" he queries. "And secondly..." he hesitates, carefully walking on eggshells, "...I try not to get involved in cases where things are going to turn bad for the person I'm hunting. Like, if you want your money back, and to make sure he doesn't screw you over again, sure. But if I'm going to turn on the news to hear about the latest washed up body, I'd prefer to go our separate ways." +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "'Herd' is ... not the word I'd use personally. It has a different meaning for us that it would for Darwin's people." She replies, leaning back a little, hands clasping together on the desk. The file is slim, as she suggested. A few photos of young men. It's an old photograph of Jason himself, perhaps in his mid 20's, big and rough looking guy with short black hair and a few street-tattoos. Another guy, Luke, has dirty blonde hair, a thinner and wiry guy, pictured wearing a Cubs jersey. There's a third, labeled just 'Jon', youngest of them all. There's a little information about which parts of the west side they hang out. Faith's been doing some snooping of her own, and even has an address for the other two. Questions were expected, and she seems ready to answer them. It's odd really, the way she just kind of ... doesn't move. The undead woman isn't even pretending to be alive, so except to speak she's oddly still. "Reasonable questions. I admit, the money itself isn't so important to me. I don't want it to be said that my goodwill is so easily taken advantage of, you understand." A pause. "But I would much prefer my business with him comes to a peaceful conclusion, and while I can't be certain of how they will react if I get to confront him, it is what I am working towards." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth gives a small nod as he looks over the photos, lifting one up so he can squint closer at it. "I understand," he agrees, leaning back on his seat finally, the photos placed neatly back in the photo. "And to be frank, beyond that? I don't really need or want to know. As long as I'm not actively involved in the commissioning of a crime, what you do with the information is entirely up to you." He gives Faith another curious look, like he's just figured out that she's not breathing. Again, he doesn't pull away, but there's certainly a hint of fear that flashes across his face. He schools it away fairly quickly, but it's there. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Faith doesn't comment on the case at hand for the moment. Instead, she focuses on those moments of fear, carefully keeping her own almost instinctual reactions from showing. "I am making you uncomfortable," she says after a moment, with some resigned familiarity in that tone of hers there. "I give you my word Gareth, that I mean you no harm. Perhaps this was a bad idea, but I am trying to accept the Accords as they are, and perhaps live up to some ideal of what they can be. If you have any questions that might make this easier for you, I will try to tell you what I can. If you decide you do not want to work with me, then I will also accept that." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth grimaces at Faith, the expression almost an apology. "Fear is an instinctual prey response to predators," he says, matter-of-factly. "Whether my rational brain knows that you won't harm me or not, the instinctual parts of my brain will still respond... instinctually." HE makes a face, like he's annoyed with his own wording. "I had the same response to Darwin when I saw his wolf, even though I have known the man for a long time, and rationally know he would never hurt me." He blows out a breath, leaning onto the table once again. "I will tell you the same thing I've told everyone so far, Faith. There are monsters in the world, I know that. I have seen them. And so far, to the best of my knowledge? They've all been human. What you are matters not a jot compared to who you are." A smile does come to his lips, however brief. "Though, while you're offering, *would* you indulge my curiosity?" +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "It is, and I have ways of hiding that that I chose not to use as some ... idea towards extending a measure of trust. It seems we end up going around in circles as you act with those instinctual prey responses that then cause me to react ..." Faith grins there, a flash of teeth, which probably ends up not being nearly as reassuring as she's intending. "Also, as Darwin put it, I got the spooky gene, which doesn't help matters." She leans back then, with her dark glasses watching him. "I will. You have alluded to it correctly I think. I am a vampire. I am quite a bit older than I look, and I regularly feed upon human blood to live." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "It makes you want to chase me, huh," Gareth says, his fingers twiddling together. The jiggle of his leg appears to have stopped altogether as he looks closer at Faith, like all of his focus is on her right now. "You do have the spooky gene," he says with a gesture of his hand up and down her figure. "It works for you though." He hums then, ordering through the questions in his head, taking a moment to choose the ones that matter. "Mostly I'm working off myths and legends, and I'm learning I have to take them all with quite the heap of salt. Would I be right in saying you tend to feed without actually *killing* the subject?" he asks. "I feel like.. there would be far more of a stir if you had to kill people to feed. Not to mention quite inconvenient." +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Her head tilts a little to the side at the gesture, and there's a simple, "Thank you," for the compliment, her lips settling into a thin line once again. "That's correct. Dealing with bodies regularly would be messy and very inconvenient for one, as you suggest, but also ... there's just no need to do so. Of course, if I was regularly murdering people just to exist I'd probably not confess it to you, but I'd think the number of missing persons and exsanguinated bodies found would be a lot higher." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Fair point, I think I deserve that one," Gareth says, tapping his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Do you *actually* need to be invited into people's homes? Or is that just, I dunno, misinformation?" he asks with a crooked smile, watching her. He seems to be relaxing at least, his fear either receding, or he's getting better at hiding it. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ There's almost a laugh from Faith, barely a breath of a sound and she shakes her head. "No, I can break into someone's home just as much as anyone else could. No invitation necessary. There might be some? Who that particular bane applies to, but it's not really a common thing. Same with all the obvious ones -- crucifixes, garlic, running water. That's all nonsense. Sunlight is not an option, however." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Well, I'll take all the salt off my windowsills then," Gareth deadpans. He probably doesn't have salt on his windowsills. Probably. "Mmm, that much I got from the appointment time. Are the sunglasses a you thing, or a vampire thing?" he asks next, tilting his head at her. "Or is it a... hm, protecting *me* thing?" +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Ah," Faith considers, lifting her hand to adjust the shades, but she doesn't remove them. "You know, it's surprising how few people even question them sometimes. The sunglasses are my thing." There's no further explanation than that. +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Cool," Gareth says by way of response. "I think if I wore sunglasses indoors I'd walk into things, so props to you!" He grins and then leans back, giving a little shrug. "But to be honest that's probably it for questions from me, y'know? I mean I could ask questions all day but also I know when to stop. But I guess, do you have any questions for me? Work-related or... human-in-the-middle-of-all-this related," he offers. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "I can see perfectly in pitch darkness." Faith assures with that slight hint of a smile once more. "I bet you could keep asking questions. Darwin certainly does. I have some idea of what it's like, I was human once too, and it's hard to forget one day learning about this entire world existing. Though, in a very different way, of course." She nods once. "But otherwise, no questions about that really. I do wonder how much you'll charge, of course. Or if you'd prefer Coin?" +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth smiles unconsciously at the mention of Darwin, but doesn't say anything about him. He dips his head at the question, thoughtful. "My regular rate for this sort of work is," he names his rate. It's a fairly middle-of-the-line rate for the kind of work he's being hired to do. "...though I am going to make the cardinal sin of any negotiation and admit I have no idea how that would translate into Coin. No one has told me much about it yet. Normally I'd say cash but... I have enough to pay my bills for the moment, and being able to pay my way on the other side of the road wouldn't be a *bad* thing." +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Faith gives a single nod, hands clasping together once more. The rate doesn't seem to surprise her, and her hands clasp together again. "To find where a single human has decided to lay low and report back to me, I would offer you a single Coin. The favour and power it provides is quite valuable." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Gareth nods slightly. "Then I will trust you that that is a fair and equitable exchange. I accept," he says, offering his hand to seal the deal. +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Once again, her room temperature hand clasps his, a light and brief shake, and she grins. "Excellent. You have my details. I look forward to hearing what you discover." She begins to rise up to her feet. "It has been ... interesting." +----+ Gareth +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "It has," Gareth says, gathering up the folder and his own notebook before he rises. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, and I do mean that sincerely." +----+ Faith +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Still so unusual to be so open with a human." Faith remarks in a tone that has a hint of that incredulity about it. "Likewise, Gareth. I look forward to hearing from you," she repeats the same words, and with that, her hood is lifted back up into place and she's turning to make her leave. | |