2020-08-26: Its Not Pizza, Its Quiche
| Its Not Pizza, Its Quiche | |
|---|---|
| Arumi takes Vic out for dinner and a talk. | |
| IC Date | August 26th, 2020 |
| IC Time | Dinner Time |
| Players | Arumi, Hardy and Vic Rasmussen; also Bobbi and Yakov briefly |
| Location | Twisted Toppings |
| Spheres | Traditions |
The scene opens with a text message exchange between Arumi and Vic.
|
Arumi picks up Vic in the car she's seen before the red Tesla Model 3. "You seem to be holding up really well for being stuck alone in an alternate dimension, in the past." As she drives, she drives aggressively. Well, but aggressively.
"The future technically," Vic says after having adjusted her bag into her lap and buckling in. "A week ago it was twenty-twelve. But this is nothing like my world's twenty-twenty is likely to be," she further explains, "But yeah... the world is wacky-wierd. I keep finding the strangest little differences where I'd least expect it." As far as the driving is concerned she doesn't comment at all.
Arumi shakes her head. "Oh right, we're from the future. You're from the past. Sorry, tiring week. Tiring two weeks, really." She pulls around a corner toward Twisted Toppings. "Do you have Star Trek TNG? We won't go back! But yeah building my space ship is tiring."
Vic nods enthusiastically. "Oh yeah! Of course. But I've started a re-watch. There's some major differences even before the glaring ones that /really/ show the POD... Point of Divergence... for that part of our shared history. I've been studying up on this world's history looking for differences."
Arumi giggles. "I'd love to hear what you find. What caused Y2k to be a bad thing for you guys? Maybe some alternate programming language was used. Did COBOL flop in your timeline? Well here we are." Parking, getting out. "You like Chicago style pizza? That's all I get here, it's the real thing."
Vic shakes her head. "As I understand it, nobody in power would listen to anyone with the knowledge. They were certain that it wouldn't be a problem. It was before my time, I got into computing post-Y2K. I mean, I was eight. I used them but mainly to play games." Then the question comes up and her response is voiced carefully knowing that this sometimes causes arguments with some pizza lovers. "I'll eat it, she says, "Hell, I even enjoy it. But so you know, its a quiche not a pizza."
Arumi leads Vic in, and asks her to grab a booth while she orders. Coffee and a pitcher of coke are brought over to the table shortly after Arumi sits. "Sure you don't need anything? Not a job or anything?"
After finding a booth in a corner for them, Vic slides into the side where her back is to a wall and she can see the door. She takes her bag off her shoulder as she sits and puts it on the seat next to her. "I've been looking for work I can do. Problem is that I have no legal identity here and most places require that. I discussed doing web development for a local strip mall. A gal I met while doing laundry there inadvertantly gave me the idea."
Hardy comes in from D St. and Canary St.
Arumi tilts her head. "I'd think your more adept friends would begood at creating that sort of identity thing," she suggests, voice going soft, to prevent being overhead. "That sounds good. It's honest work. And can get you a good reputation."
Arumi is sitting in a booth across from Vic, speaking quietly.
Hardy heads inside looking around moving over to the counter and ordering a meatlovers pizza with a broad smile. He tilts his head and looks over to Vic and Arumi curiously. Offering a wave to them.
The pair are sitting at a booth tucked into a corner. Due to having been given the task to find the table, Vic is sitting on the side of the table that puts her back to the wall and has her facing the door. She nods to her companion acknowledging her comment then, seeing the large man enter and wave in their direction, she asks Arumi, "Is the big guy a friend of yours?"
Arumi looks back after Vic's comment, and waves to Hardy, then explaining to Vic "Someone I've met. You meet random people sometimes." She snickers. "I have to admit I do worry about you, and envy how relaxed you seem about this all."
Hardy walks over to the both of them "Hello Arumi, long time no see" looking over to Vic with a warm smile "Hello, we Hardy" the large man offers to her though keeping some distance from the table. Not trying to intrude to much as he waits for his pizza.
At the right booth, Vic softly asks, "What would it gain me to be freaked out over it? I'd be stressed out over that and still have to adapt. Its a learning opportunity though."
Vic softly says something to her companion as the huge man approaches. When he greets them she nods to Hardy and says, "Hello," to him. She seems to defer to Arumi rather than say anything else yet though.
Arumi nods to Hardy. "Hi! Oh hey there's our food." She then leans back a bit to let the server set down the deep dish and places, and serves up a slice to Vic, then one to herself. "So what did you order Hardy? And Vic, I'm glad you're... handling it. You have my number if you need anything. Do you have any questions I can answer publicly, or should we take this someplace more private?"
Hardy looks to Arumi "We ordered a meatlover" shrugging lightly looking between the two "We taking it to go. Oh... we manage to get a place furbished up for us. Got a pool and hot tub and everything" nodding to himself "Don't think we managed to tell you that yet" nodding to Vic with a smile "Pleasure to meet you Vic"
Vic unwraps a fork and knife and begins to cut a bite off of the tip of the 'pizza' slice. Before putting it in her mouth she says, "Most of my questions are probably not for public discussion but... you suggested you might give me a job, what kind of work would you have to offer me?" She starts to put the fork to her mouth but stops and says, "I mean, I can do janitorial work but I'd really rather not," with a laugh that is ended when she puts the bite into her mouth. While masticating the bite she just stares at Hardy while he speaks but then nods when he addresses her and, after swallowing and taking a sip of water, replies by saying, "Likewise."
Yakov comes in from D St. and Canary St.
Those currently near Vic (Arumi and Hardy) see that her shadow, from the light of the setting sun coming in though the window next to the both she is sitting in, is not solid black, its flickering like the visual snow of an untuned television.
OOC NOTE: See Vic's Echoes Note as Vic proved it at this point in the scene to those who were present.
Arumi squints and looks at Vic. Inhaling deeply. "Let's bring the pizza and stuff on back." She then signals the server to come help with that. "STanding quickly, she takes her plate and cup and looks to Hardy "I apologize but this is urgent. Congratulations on the um, on the hot tub. I Bet it's very relaxing." She is in a hurry then as she darts to a back room door.
Bobbi comes in from D St. and Canary St.
Hardy smiles "Take care Arumi, Vic" taking his pizza and heading out.
Hardy has left.
Vic watches the nigh-gigantic man depart and softly asks, "Is there something wrong with that guy or is he just different?" The earlier discussion about possible jobs having been forgotten she doesn't revisit it.
As the big man walks out, the skinny young man walks in, tossing a, "Nice Marking, what... " the door cutting him off. Yakov looks around and then smiles and calls out, "Hi.... name's Jack, I was lookin fer some work? I can deliver pizzas, cook, and am willing to learn whatever ya need me to, if you got a position fer me?" his backpack no where need the size of the Monty from Mission Workshop.
Arumi glances as HArdy leaves, and leans over to Vic. "He's unusual, I'll put it at that. Seems harmless enough though. So I would not worry about him in the last, despite his unusual way of talking." She looks at the servers, and then she departs to the back room with Vic, hopefully?
~~Pizza, I want pizza~~ Bobbi sings to herself as she enters Twisted Toppings with a jaunty step, heading for the counter. Today she's wearing a 3/4 length black-and-white threadbare basball tee tucked into high-wiasted cut-off jort, knee high adidas socks that match the shirt, and a pair of adidas sneakers. As she heads over to the counter, there's a relax calmness that hides the kind of crude ugliness she's about to unleash on the cashier. Pressing her fingers on the casing, her eyes and nose just peeking over, she gets up on tip-toes to allow her to project her question. That disturbing question. "Did you get the vegan ham in yet?" she asks with a friendly smile on her face.
Vic nods to Arumi about Hardy and takes a queue from her friend, following her to the backroom.
At this point in the scene Arumi and Vic had to go for the night and the scene was wrapped up on the evening of 27Aug2020, but it was treated as a contiguous scene with the following pose as the start of the continuation.
Arumi gets a little help from a server, and the pizza is back here, letting Vic into the back room. "We can talk here. This room was set up with the plan of letting council members have an informal meeting place in town. Help yourself to the beverages." She sits at the bar wit the pizza beside, with room for Vic to join and have access.
Vic follows along, bringing her bag with her naturally, and sets it down on the counter before going behind the bar and looking for drinks. "What's your poison, Arumi?" she asks as she gets a glass out and pours one part Fireball and four parts orange juice for herself.
Arumi gestures "I'm fine with what we got in the pitcher, thanks. So yeah, um, He's weird. He's convinced he's an ancient mythical creature, and constantly refers to himself in the plural. But he does seem harmless."
She takes a moment to eat. "I'm a contractor for a contractor. If you have the conventional programming skills, I can surely throw you work. Self-contained projects that require no clearances."
"Well, that all depends on what you feel are the 'conventional programming skills'," Vic says as she settles down onto a bar stool next to Arumi. "And would you want an audition? Or some other way for me to give you my credentials?" she asks these before taking a good chug of her Burning Screwdriver then eating some more of her slice of the pizza-quiche.
Arumi smiles. "I mean, I need you to write me software I can deliver to United States Government systems that are going to runn on regular computers. Nothing beyond ordinary consensus technology. And well, why don't you just tell me what you know? Do you even know the same languages we use here? I mean, there's not going to be a Tandy running CPM 2020 here."
"Yeah, some of the computer languages here don't exist on my world and vice versa," she says before taking a pause to eat another bite of the meal. Pointing at the slice with her fork she says, "Yummy, thanks for such a hearty meal," before continuing with the more professional side of the conversation. "And telling you what I know, that would take a long time, when I'm not sleeping... and on your earlier question I do sometimes cry myself to sleep, homesickness and all... or exploring the city I'm researching information about the world. Trying to figure out the major historical differences for example."
Arumi takes a deep breath, and rubs her face. "I'm sorry. That's awful. I Wish I had a way to send you back. But it's just not possible." She inhales deeply, and takes a big drink from her glass. "I can supply you anything you need to start transitioning to this timeline's languages and technologies. My Master's is in Engineering and Computational Mathematics, so I may not be one of you guys, but I do know what I'm doing."
"That's good to know," Vic says and then laughs as she says, "Have you ever seen Bobbi at a computer?" And then she begins to metaphorically dive into her dinner more than she had before.
Arumi takes a good moment to eat some more at that question. Looking as she swallows. "Bobbi at a computer sounds like... a complete waste of time." she snorts.
Vic nods vehemently as she swallows her latest bite. After washing it down with a slug of her drink she says, "She thinks that 'computer hacking' is flailing away at her keyboard... and that its an advanced form of hunt and peck," with a grim chuckle of her own.
Arumi takes a deep breath. "She tries. I'm sure in another timeline she's using Slackware." Shaking her head and snickering. "Glad you like the food. Twisted Toppings is great, and owned by Steele Smith, who is the council representative for the Dreamspeaker."
Vic nods slowly and asks, "You mentioned Hardy is claims to be a mythic creature. Isn't that a contradiction of terms? I mean, if he's walking around he's not a myth, right?" She then adds, "I mean, where I am from they're believed to be extinct."
Arumi shakes her head. "I don't know, Vic." Smiling. "He says he's a hydra. You know, lots of heads. Don't ask me."
Vic huffs questioningly and then asks, "Should I ask him maybe?"
Arumi Shrugs. "If you're curious. Go for it!" She takes some more time to eat, pours more from the pitcher, and drinks. "But yeah, take your time. I'm here. Any other questions?"
"Right now," Vic says, "I don't know what questions to ask." She smiles, "But I know you are one of the people I can turn to once I have figured that out and have coherent questions I need to figure out."
Arumi nods. "Well you have my number. Whenever you need me. I know this must be very difficult for you."
