2024.09.07 A Meeting of the Minds...and a Cat

A Meeting of the Minds...and a Cat
Xiu and Sark take their pastries downstairs and run into several new faces. And a kitty!
IC Date	2024.09.07
IC Time	Early Morning
Players	Vivian, Titania, Lavender, Sark, Xiu
Location	Prospect Roasters - Basement Sanctuary
Spheres	Mage, Bygone, Sorcerer, Mortal+

Xiu has arrived.

So its a nice morning and cool in the air, and Sark has decided out on the patio is a good change - he's already acquired his obligatory chocolate chip muffin and mug of cinnamon tea and claimed one of the outside tables to munch on things. His sandals are on the floor so his bare feet can swing happily back and forth like a kid while he sips on his tea and enjoys the fresh air.

There are not many places that will just tolerate a bum lounging out in front. Not in the morning. At the late evening, sure? When the tourists are out and about and some of them look just as bad as the bums when full on bro-drunk? Sure. But not in the mornings. The mornings are for the hard-earning folk to get their breakfasts. So Xiu just hangs at Roasters when she has the time of the day, and the presence. As she approaches the patio, hands all in her hoodie and hood all drawn up, shuffling along...she blinks and stops. Is she surprised to see Sark there? Oh yeah. With a grin and a sudden spring in her step she slips onto the patio, circles the table once, and then scoots backward before she taps the chair behind her away from the table and settles down. "'lo there!"

Sark perks up when Xiu approaches - of course, it takes him a moment cause she's in a hoodie and well, when yer used to seeing a girl in her birthday suit, it takes you a second. Flashing a bright grin, he chirps, "Hey there gorgeous. Want some tea or are you just pausing for a moment before scooting on to other things?"

And, all told, the outfit is a good reminder of how well those baggy clothes hide that bod of hers. She grins at him, and pulls a hand out of the hoodie pouch to lift her hood up a bit with her thumb. "Oh, was jus' hangin' in the area. Figured 'd see what's left on the patio. Maybe toss a coin or two at the bartender, fix me a water or somethin'. I think the tap water's actually free." Technically, probably, anything is free for her here if the point is stressed. But appearances are important. And the witch is not one to ever drop those in public easily. "What'cha doin' out here, anyways? Thought the new horsies got your attention or somethin'. Firm-ass mare butts and everythin'"

An amused look is shot her way at the mare butt comment, "Wrong species, and they arent in heat anyway. I AM kinda impressed at their training. The owner ran them through their paces when she was out last and it was a little neat to watch them be so precise in how they stuck together. I mean....calvary fighting on the battlefield is not something you would really depend on now THIS century, but dedication to training is still dedication to training, right?" He smiles a little more before popping a piece of muffin into his mouth and munching on it for a second, "It was such a nice day I wanted to come sit out here on the patio for a while and enjoy the morning while still listening to the droning of people out on the street. Also to see who might come out and say hello, right?"

"Pfff, wrong species. 'd tap a mare but so hard if I could." She can. "Like.." she spreads her arms and gestures. "Just that big, firm-as mare, all wavin' her tail and stuff. I get why the stallion's are all restless." She lets out a cackle, lowering her hands, before she exhales softly. "Well, hello!" she lets out and leans onto the table. "But lookin' at those darn muffins, how 'bout headin' somewhere more private so I can show you what I can do with a muffin, eh?" Well, that is probably code for heading you-know-where. Maaaaybe. Maybe she really just wants to show him what she can do with her muffin.

The first draws out a snicker from the young man and a murmur, "I have no doubt you do, but I think you have a higher drive than I do for such things." He takes a sip of his tea right when she mentions going elsewhere and he glances behind him at the kitchen for a moment, then agreeably nods, "Sure. They wont mind if I bring my shit with me. Iys just been kinda quiet so I wasnt expecting anyone to be hiding, you know?" With that said, he does take a moment to reclaim his sandals onto his feet, and scoops his drink and munchies up.

Prospect Roasters - Basement

And this is probably the first time Vivian gets to experience the sounds of steps coming down those stairs other than her own! Steps and voices. Well, one voice, primarily. Some girl. Some girl.

"An' then the fuckin' guy just ran. Fuckin' ran with the money he owes. You don't run from a game o' street crabs, 's just not kosher, y'know?" The voice belongs to a girl that - surprise - isn't the best dresser. Dark faded, baggy hoodie. Faded green cargo pants. Hair that is just a *pile* of rather excessively long braids - long enough to almost reach her feet. Heck, with her walking downstairs, some are definitely dragging on the seps behind her. And as she reaches up to pull that hoodie hood back it shows that...well, she's asian. For the connoisseurs of that area, probably Chinese. Right behind her is a guy that couldn't be more different. Tall, groomed, blonde hair, casual attire. The common ground between the two would be is that he also has long hair - if not that long.

The young blond man follows Xiu downstairs, cradling his huge mug of cinnamon tea and a half-destroyed chocolate chip muffin to his chest as he does so, murmuring in response to her comment, "Well, yeah. You have an agreement, you stick to it or you expect to get hunted down for your debts, right?" He ducks his head a bit to see if there really is anyone down here, and seems pleasantly surprised to find a new face when he does so, shifting his cargo to offer a wave of one hand at Vivian and announcing to Xiu like the Captain Obvious he is, "Hey, someone's down here!"

Vivian quickly directs her attention to the stairs when people start coming down and she steps away from the screen pretending like she hadn't been watching it intensely for the second time. Without realizing it she keeps her right hand against her throat with her left arm crossed over her torso and the hand resting on her right elbow in support. She takes the rather poorly dressed woman in first, or poor by Vivian's standards, and then looks over to the tall man. She smiles at both and lifts her left hand away from her elbow to wave at them. "Someone is!" Down here that is. Vivian has a pleasant smile and a prettier voice and then.. her gaze seems to lock on Sark as she turns her head like she's trying to understand something strange.

Titania has arrived.

"Someone's here alright!" Xiu says without much change in her shuffling steps or her posture. She simply makes her way fully down the stairs, slanted eyes peering out at Vivian as she rounds that corner of the stairs and takes the last steps. "'sup?" she adds, pulling a hand out of the hoodie pouch before she flicks two fingers away from her head in a casual salute. "Can't say I've seen your face 'round 'ere." The girl grins, and then...slips right along the walk, towards the dumb waiter, and snatches up a paper and pen. "Be right with you. Just gon' an' order me somethin', or I'll be eatin' the crumbs from beneath the table, eh?"

Sark laughs a little at the reaction and bounces on the balls of his feet, "Well, hello new person! I'm...." He trails off, frowns a little, and looks over at Xiu, "Um. Shit. I forgot to ask Lavender the last time I was here. If they are down here, they are special and I can introduce myself, right? Noone's going to come unglued on me?"

Vivian is polite enough to respond to Xiu, and even make brief eye contact, "Not.. much. I'm Vivian. New, newish in town." She does chuckle at the comment of eating crumbs from under the table but then her eyes lock on Sark again. Her gaze fixates on his neck and then runs up along to his cheeks and then chin. She's staring, gawking really, for just a moment before she manages to make eye contact with Sark again. "Hi, new to me person. I'm not planning on coming unglued." Though she's clearly trying to sort some ideas out in her head.

Big, fat, fluffy cat. Pause. Then someone much more human. Another pause. There's a slow look around the room below and Titania rests her hand against the rail with the cat's leash around her wrist, more for show than effect, and a drink of some sort in the other hand. She starts her descent. Floaty and elegant, that's Titania. "Nor will I, if that helps any," comes Titania's thickly Russian, but perfectly enunciated voice. "Titania Boriskova. This is Kroshka." The cat, acknowledged, meows.

"You spill your guts out, Sark." Xiu replies to the man's question - and one might note that her way of speaking changed. Or rather, it cleared up. Clear intonation, no more shorted or cut off words. Slower rhythm, too. "Not everybody down here might be your friend, but everbody coming here technically has common enemies we are all hiding out from." She smirks, and finally sends the dumbwaiter up with a push of the button, before she turns as more steps come down the stairs. And, well, there is another face that Xiu has not seen, and she gives Titania a slower look-over, before she lightly grins. "Well well. Welcome, welcome." she greets Titania - and the cat as well - before she lifts a hand and changes directions, heading for a cabinet. "Be right with you as well. Sark, say hi!" she tells the man, before she pulls the cabinet open..and retrieves a crimson cloth of sorts. Thin. Fine. Plain but fine. Without much adieu, she drapes it over one of the chairs for...some reason.

Sark turns his head to look over and up at the new arrival and the human that came with it, offering Titania a small bow of his head in acknowlegdement. He FINALLY sets his mug and half-destroyed muffin down on the corner of a close by table, dusts his hands off, and offers one to Vivian with a more respectful bow of his head, "Sarkesian the Gilded. Western Greater Wyrm of the Gold variety. Happy to meet you, Miss Vivian. And Miss Boriskova and Kroshka." The prospect of meeting TWO people he had not before seems to be making his day, "It always feels so quiet down here. I should start visiting more often if people are actually coming by.

A cat! Vivian manages to look away from Sark for a moment to look at the chonker with a wide smile on her lips and then sees Titania and shakes her head a bit in surprise. This is a much more mundane surprise but seeing someone so beautiful so suddenly catches her off guard. She quickly makes an assessment of Titania's style and returns the greeting with a wave. "Hello Titania, Kroshka." She will of course greet the cat.

Vivian nods her head in agreement with Xiu, if only because she rather wants Sark to spill his guts in this moment. Curiousity kills cats and Vivians. Her gaze does linger on Xiu as the woman's manner of speech changes and she eyes the crimson cloth curiously before she looks back to Sark. She extends her right hand, wrist bent slightly, as she gives Sark a dainty handshake with a rather light grip. "Sarkesian.. a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry.. are you a.. spirit?" She shakes her head, clearly indicating that she doesn't think that's the case but she's having a hard time making sense of this one. "And.. just Vivian. The only title I have is doctor." She's quiet for a moment and then beams a wide grin back at the.. dragon? "I suppose you could call me Dr. Web." A brief pause, "Oh my god, I just realized that makes me sound like a supervillain."

Titania's style at a glance is rather understated, plain, but a good long look for someone who knows anything about clothing will note that that blouse alone might cost more than some people get paid in a week. She wears it well. She's nearly down to the bottom when she hears Sark's introduction. She pauses there and she squints just a touch at Sark. "I'm sorry. I mean no disrespect, but can you tell me please, did you say worm? Is that a designation or a title of some sort?" It's an honest question, asked politely. The cat? Acknowledged again? "Meow." Vivian adds a little more context and Titania's eyes flicker to Xiu, perhaps to see her take on things.

And once Xiu has draped the cloth over the chair, she wanders over to the bottom of the stairs again. Once there she...reaches for the hem of her hoodie and pulls it up. Works it over her head, and then carefully and with patience works it down over her excessive amount of long braids - practiced motions working the hoodie down and the hair up, until her head is free again. There was nothing underneath the hoodie except skin. Skin, and the fact that the chinese girl is fucking *shredded*. As if it was the most normal thing, Xiu folds up the hoodie and sets it down. Then those cargopants follow, easier to take off, along with stepping out of those running shoes. She folds those up, too. The pants, not the shoes. And a moment later, everything sits neatly stacked near the stairs as the little chinese amazon streeetches in her birthday suit, then brushes some of her braids back and wanders back towards the chair with the cloth on it - before leaning on the backrest with crossed arms. "Wyrm. As in dragon." she remarks and thumbs over at Sark. "He is not kidding about that, either." Sure Xiu, just act normal here.

Sark blinks once at Vivian's question, "A spirit? Er. Ah, I mean, I have one but I think you mean am I just a spiritual entity like one of the Choirs or a Jaggling or something like that? Nono. I am what they like to call a mythical creature, since they dont believe I exist anymore. I mean, not for lack of trying on their part." He pauses and offers an explanation, "Western Greater Wyrm. Also, dragon? There are also Eastern counterparts who can fly without wings and look more like long, well, worms? Much more graceful, but if you meet one please do not tell them I said that - I will never hear the end of it. Thats not me. Im much heavier and I need my wings to fly." He shoots a smirk at Xiu as she 'helps' and finally catches she has indeed discarded her clothes, barking a small laugh, "I should have suspected the moment you could, hmm?"

Vivian has an eye for style and she instantly spots the quality (and cost) of Titania's clothing. There is a creeping hint of admiration in her eyes now as she stares at the gorgeously dressed beautiful woman, mentally taking notes of a style she might try to emulate later. She nods her head emphatically at the question Titania asks, her gaze moving back to Sark immediately for his response. And then... Xiu strips down as if it's the most normal thing in the world. Credit to Vivian, she doesn't actually respond much to that, casting some side-eye but it's not completely unprecedented to her. She's suddenly the most modestly presenting woman in the room. She'll draw her hand back from Sark after the handshake, nodding her head as if it makes sense. "Okay.. Greater... Wyrm." She says the word and blanches a bit as she takes a step back from Sark. "That's.. very new to me. I would love to know more, when you have time and if you want to share."

Titania's eyes slide off Xiu briefly to focus on Sark. "A... Dragon. Western.. zmei. A dragon, a serpent hero, perhaps?" The squint fades and she takes the last two elegant steps downward until she's on solid ground again. She looks down at Kroshka and Krosha looks back up at her. The cat.... can cats shrug? This one did. Titania nods. "Yes, not the weirdest thing we've heard this week, I agree." So the dragon thing threw her, but not hard once she understood it. Her attention goes back to Xiu and .. Oh. She's naked. There is a moment of assessment and appreciation and then a nod. "Are there... many dragons about? I heard rumors of one years ago, but it's been a long while." The cat, tall enough (or maybe just fluffy enough) to reach Titania's knees at shoulder height, does a little circle and flicks his tail at the pretty redhead. "Yes, yes. Fine. I'll ask." She looks around the room again briefly. "I have been down here one other time before and I was made to feel quite welcome by a few people here, but there was one who was an evil toad of a woman, condescending and rude. I wonder if she is still about."

"The moment I had to, Sark." Xiu corrects and smirks sideways at the man. "Thankfully also always a subset of the moments I want to, which is always." Xiu then takes a glance back and forth, between Vivian and Titania, still very much acting as if she, herself, was dressed in the finest embroidery instead of just standing around naked now. "Alright. Supervillain Dr. Web, Miss Briskova, Miss Kroshka." Yes, the cat is a miss, too! "I guess I will go next." she says as she continues to lazily lean onto the backrest of that cloth covered chair, not sitting down yet. "There is a long formal version or a short casual one. Which one do you want?" Then she pauses, eyeing Titania for a long moment. "And boy do I have a good guess as to which woman that was..."

Sark offers another bow of his head to Vivian and smiles, noting how she's backing away from him, "I promise I do not bite or set people who do not deserve it on fire. I am also always happy to educate people that want to listen. Ive even had classes for the local Fae on learning about mythical creatures...because there ARE some that are dangerous and should not be, well, petted, if you run into them. Some DO bite. /I/ try to be helpful to those that are trying to restore some sense of wonder and imagination to this realm...before it goes too grey and cannot be brought back." To Titania's question, he has to pause for a moment and counts on one hand, scrunching up his nose as he thinks, "I know of six, but three have left the area and I am pretty sure are not coming back, so that would leave three? And two hydras, who....dont call them dragons, they might bite you for that." There's a pause before he glances at Xiu, then back to Titania, "Do you recall the toad's name?" He doesnt entirely hide the smirk at Xiu's comment, before murmuring, "I am curious if it is the same one that called me a pervert."

Vivian blinks at Titania and the pronouncement that she's heard stranger things this week. Another slow blink and then she looks back to Xiu. And then to the dragon guy. No no, this is a bit strange to Vivian and she's not going to pretend otherwise even if she's also not going to make too big of a deal out of it. She holds up her hands to shoulder height and presses them down slightly as she exhales, taking a moment to center herself. The cat, that's not strange for her, she smiles back to the cat. At the mention of an evil toad woman Vivian glances to the other two in the room, clearly not having an answer herself.

"Long and formal please, I love long and formal." Vivian lowers her head and stifles a quick laugh at the Dr. Web comment before she shakes her head and looks back up to Xiu. And then Sark is offering up more information. Vivian eyes him with curiousity once more as her smile widens. "I definitely want to have that convesation, later. When I can.." Hydras? He said hydras. Ah, all three of them seem to know the toad, Vivian is the odd one out on this.

Naked. Dragons. Not naked dragons. Probably. Is Xiu a dragon? She looks down at Kroshka as he is referred to as Miss and the cat does a faint little shift and Titania reaches down and scoops up the cat that is nearly as big as she is. The cat sounds briefly indignant, then resigns itself to its fate of Ragdoll. "Kroshka is a male, please. The woman's name was... Careena? Cortessa?" She looks at the cat. The cat looks up from its ragdoll position, sort of over its shoulder and then Titania nods. "Caressa. That is her name. I would love a long introduction."

"My apologies, mister Kroshka." Xiu immediately, well, apologizes to the cat, smiling - before that smiling expression just turns into a smirk of 'I knew it'. "Yeeah, Caressa..." she murmurs and then leans down a bit more, lifting a hand to rest her cheek against her palm as she eyes Titania. "Yeah, she is gone and not a problem anymore. She made a bad move and folks ripped her a new one and now she is out of here." A chuckle leaves her at that. She certainly seems amused over something.

Long and formal. Oh dear. She *does* let out a soft sigh at that. "Alright, but I am not big on formalities." She murmurs before she lifts her head again. "I am Xiu ('Sheyou') Tong. Verbena - that means witch. Lifeweaver - that means....let us just say 'wandering witch', seriously Outdoor-sy type. Dark Flower of Lilith." She pauses and gestures sideways, one finger raised. "Let's just say that is part of my worship. And last but not least.." another exhale. "Holder of the Seat of Life in Prospect." She rolls her shoulders a bit. "Head witch but not really because stuff is more complex than that, and I am more of a sort of menor." Another glance at Vivian, then at Titania. "Just call me Xiu or witchypoo an-" Ding! The dumb-waiter arrives. "Annnnd that is my cue." Pushing herself away from the chair, Xiu turns and wandes towards the thing before she pulls it open. A tray, a plate with some serious bbq'd meat on it, along with a large jug of water. And a side dish of potato salad. She carefully carries it towards the table, sets it all down, and finally pulls the chair back before settling down on the cloth-covered thing. That's what the cloth was for. Hygiene!

When Titania says 'Caressa', it unleashed a long, deep 'Ohhhhhhhhh' from Sark, as if that just explained EVERYTHING. The sound ends with a small sigh and a rubbing of his face, then the smile rebuilding on it as he offers to her a simple, "Caressa is no longer with us, though her ex-husband Steele is. /He/ is a good guy though, so try not to hold previous associations against him." He nods in agreement with Xiu's explanation as well before quieting down. When Xiu winds up for her introduction, Sark realxes into his smile and slides into a seat at the table he set his food down on, so he can sip his tea while he listens to her explain who she is, just smiling a little more at her referring to herself as 'witchypoo'. The neglected chocolate chip muffin is finally given the attention it deserves, with more torn off to pop into his mouth.

Vivian doesn't recognize nor respond to the name of the supposed toad woman, finally moving towards Xiu and gesturing to a seat at her table. She is about to ask to sit but then Xiu gives her formal introduction. Unlike everything preceding, recognition does show in Vivian's eyes to much of what Xiu is saying though she doesn't follow exactly. Vivian asks, politely, "May I sit Xiu?" She doesn't sit immediately, the question being genuine rather than a simple formality. Her demeanor isn't one of fear or worry, but rather simple politeness around people she is meeting for the first time. She doesn't bother hididng that she feels a little of her depth here and chooses to remain silent and listen as the others share information back and forth. A lot can be learned by simple listening.

Kroshka meows and it sounds very much like 'No problem.' But he's just a cat. TItania sets him back down now that he isn't going to mark this basement as his territory -- probably. "An honor to meet you then, Dark Flower of Lilith." She likes that title. Very much. Clearly. "I am Titania Boriskova, stormbringer, enchantress. I hold possession of Club 214 in the harbor district, among a few other things. I lack distinguished titles, but I honor yours." There is the faintest nod from her as Caressa is pronounced to be 'no longer with us'. "She's dead or she left?" she wonders and nods about the ex husband. "I tend to let each person create their own impression upon me. This was some years ago and I hadn't been back." She moves to take a seat, floating along to join Xiu. She sits without asking, though there's plenty of room, and she motions for Vivian to do the same, as if she owned the place. She's not particularly haughty -- she's just confidently assertive.

"Oh, Steele is a really good guy." Xiu agrees with Sark there regarding the assessment of said 'Steele'. "It still makes me wonder how he and Caressa ever became a thing. Ah well." Shes shrugs. "Not even the folks down here are spared bad relationships." Vivian's question, then, makes her blink and turn on her chair a bit. "...well, sure, sit sit! The table is for all of us." Xiu says, she on her part sounding amused at the nature of the question. "This is a safe space. Relax, enjoy, be yourselves, leave your normal world worries at the door." she tells the Doctor - and Titania - with a light grin, as she grabs her fork and knife and begins to slice the first piece of bbq'd steak off. Her eyes then find Titania as she speaks of honoring her title - and the reply is a warm smile. "I am not big on titles unless a time forces the use of one. But...thank you!" She says, and is about totake a bite off the meat...before she actually leans back and hums, just lightly tapping her lips with it, using small motions of her fork. "Club 214...I do get around the city a *lot* when I am actually here. That club sounds familiar. I have seen it, but never have been inside." A light grin follows. "The guise of a homeless bum serves me well, but it also keeps me out of certain spots." Hence those worn-out, baggy clothes. Sark nods slowly at the conversation, "Xiu has been very welcoming and helpful and we have had several interesting conversations...we just have not had a chance to get into trouble yet, as the saying goes." To answer Titania's question about Caressa, he pauses for a moment to offer, "She moved away and...I am of the understanding it was made very very clear to her that she was not welcome to return to Prospect, under any circumstances?" With that said, he seems to fall back into listening to Xiu and munching on his muffin with a faint sile on his face, like he's just enjoying the interaction between the three.

More titles. Vivian gives a slight nod of her head to Titania at hearing her descriptors, her eyes going distant as she considers.. something. She glances back to Xiu at the second mention of 'Dark Flower of Lillith' though this time she keeps her expression more neutral. She takes a moment to study both woman and smiles to Titania at the gesture to sit though she does in fact wait for Xiu to respond before she sits. Permission is granted and she promptly sits, a smile returning to her lips as she shrugs in response to Xiu's urging to relax. "Just trying to be polite, new people and all. Thank you." She takes this moment to look back towards the vampire tutorial that first caught her eye when she entered and then gestures vaguely across the room towards it. "So.. vampires.. real?"

Titania nods to Xiu, smoothing her pants down over her legs and crossing her feet at the ankles. Her hands come to rest in her lap and it's a very poised, but relaxed sort of position. It comes naturally. If ever if was merely an affectation, it has become ingrained in her. She looks relaxed and even content. "It's a gentleman's club. A high-end one. My women aren't strippers. They're dancers. Yes, they do it for money, yes some of those dances involve poles or laps, but most importantly, many of the women come to me broken and battered and I help to teach them to take back their power. They earn their money, they go to college, or they don't. They move upwards and outwards from where they were into healthy, strong beings. So.. yes. Club 214. Among other things." She nods to Sark. "The whole aura of this place is different than the last time I was here, yes." But as for Caressa directly? Not dead? There's a soft 'mm' that could be a 'that's a shame' sort of sound. "I'm glad she's no longer here. She insulted my cat." That'd be Kroshka, who flops down on the floor dramatically and coves his nose with a paw. The trauma.

Vivian gets a smile. It's soft and friendly. "Vampires are real. Most of the things that you've heard stories about that go bump in the night are real. Yes." "At this point, I would be surprised if any of the things that go bump in the night are not real." Xiu murmurs after finally slipping that piece of meat inot her mouth, happily chewing, and swallowing. She fills her fork with some of the potato salad. Eager eater. Not hurried, but eager. She looks like she needs the calories. "I mean, let us be real here. There is a dragon in the room. And a capital-W oldschool witch. And an enchantress. Stormbringer, even." She smiles at Titania, before she gestures towards the same. "And no worries, Miss Briskova, I am all about female empowerment as much as open sexuality, so your club sounds a-okay in my book. It is a good thing you do."

A forkful of salad later she takes a sip of her water and licks her lips. "A witch, a dragon, an enchantress, no wardrobe...that leaves..." Her eyes focus on Vivian. "You. Nobody is in this basement just because. Everybody here goes bump in the night to a bigger or lesser degree, themselves..." She tilts her head. "What is your deal, if I may ask, Vivian?"

Sark gives Titania a sagelike nod at the description as if agreeing, yes, insulting her cat is indeed an offence. Watching the animal flop down on the floor brings another smile to his face, enough to make him lean down and offer a hand to the animal, for either sniffing or potential scritchings on. Resting his cheek on the table, he nods at Xiu's words, "Anything that humans still have dreams for, probably exists somewhere. Vampires, werewolves, faeries, and a few others have not left this realm yet, though many of /my/ relatives have fled into the Umbral or Astral realms at this point."

Vampires real. Check. Vivian takes it somewhat in stride, though she does lift her right hand to briefly cover the side of her neck. "You're still trading flesh for-" the statement dies in her throat as she looks back to Xiu after being asked to put her cards on the table. She clears her throat and lets her hands settle into her lap as she sits up straight. Another glance around the table at the dragon, enchantress, and Witch before she smiles and continues. "Um.. sorceress. Of minor talent really. There is nothing too particularly special about me. I see spirits, dead things, and.. stranger things still that I don't really understand." Vivian adjusts her glasses with her left hand for a moment so they rest more comfortably along the bridge of her nose before she continues, "I've never really thought of a title to give to myself. A boyfriend in college called me a 'techno-shaman' but I think he was high at the time." Something about the memory does bring a smile to her lips though. Sark keeps saying things that gets Vivian's interest, she stares curiously at the dragon man and then looks to see how the cat responds to him reaching out a hand to him. And then her eyes are on the cat again, staring quietly for a moment with a smirk on her lips before she looks back to Xiu since she was the one that asked her the question. Titania nods ever so slightly to Xiu as she acknowledges the potential value of what Titania does.

The cat latches onto Sark's hand. Claws out and holding, but not even trying to do any harm. That's his hand now, you see. he may be a cat and Sark might be a dragon, but Kroshka is fearless. AFter a moment, he retracts his claws and leans up into scritchings if they're still offered. Vivian gets a soft smile of understanding, but a tiny shake of the head. "There is no flesh being traded for anything. My women dance. Sometimes there is touch, but the power lies in the dancer, not in the audience. My girls are graceful and elegant and athletic. Maybe some of them take off their clothes. Would you say that Nicole Kidman or Emma Stone or Mila Jovovich were trading flesh for money when they appeared naked in one of their movies? They took off their clothes. There was money involved. Is it the same thing? Because I certainly believe that it is." There doesn't seem to be any offense taken at that almost statement. It's a point of view thing.

"Welcome to the club." is Xiu's answer to Vivian, and she lightly grins. "And to Prospect. There are a couple of your kind around." She gestures with the fork, a piece of steak on it, clarifying "Sorcerors I mean. To be frank, I never really got all the differences beween 'wizards' and 'sorcerors' and-" she glances at Titania. "Enchantresses, sorry.." she looks at Vivian again. "But hey. We are all magic-y humans or near-humans or not-humans, hoping to keep our spot in the world. This is the clubhouse, and I really, really have to stress this..." She leans forward. "Try the food, it is delicious." Grinning, Xiu leans back and slips that form into her mouth before she slowly chews, doing a dramatic eyeroll along with a 'mmmhMMH!'.

Sark actually giggles a little in delight when the cat latches on, playgrowling a little as he wiggles his fingers and scritches into the warm fur. When the cat relaxes his stance, Sark seems QUITE happy to have gotten conscripted into cat-spoiling, now half distracted by paying attention to Kroshka, but still glancing up at the conversation. To Vivian's comment about what she is, Sark offers, "My assistant, Stella, is just now developing powers she has never had before, so while you may not feel you have much, if you are interested in the idea, I might introduce her to you so she has someone else to ask questions of? Sadly the powers humans develop, I have no insight into and I feel a little bad that I cannot help her much."

Titania responds and Vivian opts to engage. She does pause for a moment to consider the counterpoint and the gentle biting of her bottom lip reveals that she concedes Titania has a point. She gathers her thoughts and responds, a bit weakly and with a shrug of her shoulders, "I think it's about measure of power. How much power do your dancers have to choose? You admitted that they come to you from broken places, they're vulnerable. More vulnerable than a movie star making the same choice. You even said that many of them move up and out. Is that not an admission that the work they do is.. less than desirable?" Vivian, it turns out, has a slightly more conservative view point on this than the others.

Xiu's response draws a smile from Vivian and she looks back to the Witch. "Thank you. Honestly I'm from Prospect originally but I've been gone since I was a kid, it's a strange mixture of coming home and returning to something new." Her eyes drift to the steak and, judging from how much Xiu is enjoying it, the question is unecessary but still comes, "Is it good?" Back to Sarkesian, Vivian's eyes go wide and she immediately nods her head with a bit of excitement revealed, "Absolutely! I'd love to meet her. Do you want to give her my number?" "We're all the same. You call yourself a witch, but you could also be classified as a mage. He says he is a wyrm, but he's a Dragon as well. I think it's all a matter of personalizing the experience so we don't all feel like we're cookie cutters."

The cat plays along, entertaining the dragon while Titania responds to Vivian. Xiu is not forgotten, her words are heard, but back to Vivian for the moment. "Full power. Complete and total power and autonomy over their own body, their finances, their hours. Many of them do come from very broken and vulnerable places. I don't just take them in and throw them on the dance floor. I make sure, first, that their needs are met and that they're safe. Some of them might need rehabilitation from drugs or alcohol. Some of them might need extensive medical treatment. Some of them might just need to lay in a warm, safe bed and sleep for a week and cry out all the tears and the toxic gaslighting that they've dealt with over the weeks or months or years that led them to me. They get all that. Some of them need child care for little ones. They have that. A safe place. A place where everyone involved understands fully where one another came from. Because they've all been there. We build each other up during our low times and empower one another. Primarily, I employ them as dancers, yes. But there are also bartenders and book keepers and costume designers. There are people who do the books. All of these women came from broken places with broken minds and bodies and hearts and when they do eventually leave, they are whole again, or as close as they can be. They're stronger, they're healthier, they find kindred souls and many of them do move on, to college, to get a degree. Some of them do that and then come back to me." Her tone is passionate, but not defensive. Not even a little bit.

"Oh, Stella is a wonderful girl, Vivian." Xiu quips there, smiling. "She can brighten up any room, anywhere. You will really like her, I am sure." she seems to agree with Sark there. "And when you meet her, tell her Xiu said hi. Been a while since I crossed paths with her." That said, the witch lets out a soft snort there at being called a 'Mage', but it's more a snort along the lines of dismissiveness than offense. She slips another forkful of potato salad into her mouth and slowly chews while she listens to Titania's description of her club...and over each bit, her eyebrows raise more. "Damn." she finally murmurs. "Your club *really* sounds like a good thing. Props to you, miss Briskova. Props to you. And.." her eyes find the cat. "Props to you, Mister Koshka, for taking such good care of her as she handles that."

Sark bows his head at the offers and smiles a little more genuinely, "Thank you. I will give you my cellphone number before i leave and perhaps if you like, either or all of you can come out to my island where we can speak a little more freely, and if you like, your cat can hunt some of the rats we still havent eradicated off of the island yet. I have a sprawling horse ranch and very large, spoiled babies I take care of there. Miss Stella has been an assistant for myself and others like me most of her life, so if I can do her a favor, I will. I owe it to her."

Passion can be infectious and enticing, particularly when coming from someone confident and alluring. Vivian doesn't realize it but she shifts forward in her seat a bit as her gaze fixes on the woman powerfully and persuasively advocating for her establishment. Vivian opens her mouth to respond but no words come immediately. Her gaze shifts to the side, perhaps not conceding her point immediately but she certainly has something more to think about now. A few seconds of quiet from her and then she looks back to Titania and nods her head, eyes lingering on the woman across from her. "That's.. a beautiful vision. If that's really how it works out then I am glad these are getting the help they need." Vivian is still somewhat put off by the concept but she is happy to let the topic go for now. It takes a moment but she peels her eyes away from Titania and looks back to Xiu with a more relaxed smile. "Absolutely, I'll let her know. Looks like I stumbled into a little network of nice people. Well, you all seem nice so far at least." Yes, even Sarkesian, he's people. And then Vivian glances back down to the cat and narrows her eyes studiously, as if considering whether Mr. Koshka might also be people. Sarkesian mentions hunting rats and Vivian instantly shudders, arms wrapping around herself. "Your island has -rats-?" There's a slight tremble in her voice as she speaks the last word. "Yes. Mr. Koshka, please go kill all the disgusting rats." Vivian nods her head emphatically at that. "But yes, I'd love to go and meet her Sarkesian." Even if there's -ick- rats.

Titania nods to Xiu. "I feel it is. I'm able to provide what no one was able to provide for me." She hasn't moved. SHe isn't tense. SHe's calm and cool and collected and utterly unflappable, at least on the outside. Kroshka pauses and meows something that certainly sounds like 'it's my job' to Sark, then goes back to gnawing and kicking. Light, playful, like he's dealing with a small child. It looks rougher than it actually is. When Vivian responds, she nods. "THere have been a few women who haven't worked out, a few women that I had to set aside because they weren't willing to help themselves and just wanted to take and take and take. That is the unfortunate heartbreak story for some women. They keep going back to the abuse, they keep taking all the healing bandages and casting them aside while begging to bleed some more. It's sad. But it happens. It isn't a utopia by any means, but it's a starting point." She also lets the topic go and she smiles at Sark. "I'm afraid Kroshka would be more likely to start a cult with the rats and unionize them."

"Well, they need to want the help, else there is no helping them." Xiu agrees with Titania - and then raises an eyebrow, amused at Vivian's reaction to rats. "Now now, rats are as much part of the natural cycle as any other creature, and much like any other creature they fight and survive for their place in the world. Also.." she says, and takes a quick last slip of meat into her mouth, the steak's gone. "mh...do not confuse city rats with meadow and forest rats out here on Sark's island. Which is a damn pretty island, by the way. One of my favorite places to hang out at." Which...prrroooobably means it is another place where she does not need to stay clothed, all told. One last scoop of the potato salad, and Xiu loudly exhales, leaning back and pushing her empty plate a bit away from her. "I really need to visit it more, but there is a lot of city, a lot of surroundings, a lot to do..." She chuckles. "So little time."

Sark chuckles to himself as the hunting question is given to the cat and he stops his wrestling for a moment to give the cat a more affectionate rubbing, "I am sure I can work out something of my appreciation if you and Miss Titania want to come out on the weekends and help me kill the rats. I...have problems with them and cant handle them directly." Xiu's comment about not visiting it enough gets an amused scrunch of his nose, "You know you are welcome any time. Everyone has their own life to lead and I will be here for quite some time..."

Vivian purses her lips and nods, her eyes cast down in quiet agreement about the sad state of affairs for some victims before she looks back up. The revelation that Mr. Kroshka won't be murdering any rats causes Vivian to wrinkle her nose slightly though she doesn't remark on it. Vivian's back straightens at Xiu's response and she closes her eyes as she shakes her head back and forth, right hand raised with palm held out in a gesture to stop. "No, absolutely not. They're disgusting, vile things and I avoid them whenever I can. Their survival is -way- overrated. Nature will find different scavengers." She's missing some of the other beats of the conversation as she continues to rant about rats. But then Sark is talking about them again and Vivian nods her head in instant agreement. Yes yes, hunt the rats.

Titania nods to Xiu. "They do need to want it. I would never attempt to force someone to change. But even those women that I had to set aside, they were still shown all the love and kindness that they would accept and all but one left my charge with a full belly and at least an understanding of what COULD be if they wanted it." All but one. There's probably a story there. Kroshka pauses as Titania deems him a cult leader and the cat snorts and flips around and POUNCES on Sark's hand. Look how vicious and poofy. Look how strong and tough he is. He will personally defend Vivian from all the rats. All of them. Titania laughs and it's a clear, perfect, melodious sound. It's a delight to the ears. "Rats certainly aren't my favorite thing in the world, but I don't loathe them. Have you had some kind of problem with them, Ms. Vivian?"

Xiu lets out a soft whistle at Vivian's reaction. Inteeeense. She just lightly smirks as the girl falls into a downright *rant* about the critters, and a soft, though gentle laugh leaves her. "And we found her natural enemy..." she murmurs, while she plucks up her glass of water and takes a slow sip. When Kroshka downright pounces Sark's hand, the witch lets out a soft laugh and lightly shakes her head. "Oh, we *do* have to make him meet Kohne, seriously..." she murmurs - loud enough for the others to hear, but mostly said to herself there. Anothe sip later, she sets her glass down and licks her lips - and then eyes Titania as that melodic laughter comes. Pretty. "Say, Miss Briskova, does your club serve food?"

Another highly delighted giggle escapes the dragon as his hand gets pounced again, this time scooping Kroshka up onto his lap so he can give the cat attention from both hands - his own tea and muffin completely forgotten about at this point. He does at least offer, "Another mythical was staying on my island and bred rats for food, with the explicit agreement she kept them contained to her caves. I have...issues....with rats. I overreact to them so I need someone else to take care of them for me, so help is always appreciated."

'All but one' does cut through Vivian's ranting and she looks towards Titania curiously. There's a quiet stare but she doesn't inquire further of the woman she just met. And then Kroshka pounces and Vivian laughs, a wide smile coming to her lips. She instantly feels safer now that Kroshka has revealed himself to be a ferocious predator. Titania's laughter widens Vivian's smile and then her eyes move back to the gorgeous woman as she's addressed. It's hard not to stare but Vivian tries. "Just.. I mean yeah." It's certainly not an explanation as Vivian shrugs her shoulders rather than diving into the story directly.

Vivian looks over to Xiu at the comment regarding her natural enemy and brushes a bit of her jet black hair behind her left ear. She bites her bottom lip and shuts up about the rats. For now. Kohne. Another curiosity dropped into conversation that gets Vivian to look back up. Mentally noted for later inquiries. Sark mentions having issues with rats and Vivian gives the smallest nod of her head in understanding and agreement.

"By law, we have alcohol so we have to have some amount of food, yes. Our current menu is grilled proschiutto wrapped figs with bleu cheese and pecans, salmon mousse and crackers, geuyere and parmesan beignets, lentil pate, smoked trout and garlic cream on rye, mushroom tartlets, mini chicken b'steeyas and fried olives." Kroshka is scooped. He's HUGE. It almost takes one hand just to keep the cat on his lap, but that's what that particular paw full of claws is for. Kroshka digs in to keep himself stable and more lazily attacks Sark. It's a little precarious here. Kroshka is huge. Titania nods to Sark. "Have you considered adopting half a dozen shelter cats? Ones that have already been spayed or neutered so you don't create another problem altogether?" Kohne.. not a name she knows. She tips her head quietly in query to Xiu, then smiles at Vivian. "I brought the One into my home. Not just under my charge, but into my home where I sleep. I trusted her. She had a key. She brought her abuser into my home and... well... between Kroshka and the dogs, they never made it all the way upstairs but their plans, dear Vivian, were not to redecorate my bedroom."

Xiu just...stares at Titania there for a long moment. Not the sort of straight-ahead stare, but more the head-tilted-down-and-eyes-froward kind of stare. She inhales, slowly. And then leans back, lightly slapping the table. "Yep, definitely above my paygrade." she remarks and lets out a soft laugh. "But it does sound fancy in a good way." comes her compliment, before she catches that glance when Titania seems to do that silent Kohne inquiry. It takes her a moment to guess right. "Oh. If you ever meet Steele, ask him about Kohne." A light grin moves her lips. "Unless he brings a raven with him. That is Kohne." A wink, before Xiu slips her hands beneath her empty plate, and then pushes her chair back before she turns and heads for the dumb waiter, in order to take care of the empty dishes.

Sark murmurs, "You ARE a big boy, arent you?" and seems quite happy to let his hand and arm get clawed up and chewed on, and while his focus seems to remain on the cat, he DOES offer to Titania, "Unfortunately we also have chickens on the ranch, so after the rats were eliminated, I am sure the cats would start going after the little dinosaurs sooner or later, so I have to keep this contained to focus help. I have already bathed the caves in flame to eliminate the source. Now its just a case of catching the stragglers before they breed too much." Xiu's mention of Kohne brings another grin to Sark's face and a commnet, "Kohne is fun to fly with, but he always sounds so...serious? Maybe that's what ravens are like."

Vivian glances over to Titania and smirks at the recitation of the menu in detail from memory. She doesn't remark on it but it seems to amuse her. And then there's the mention of 'The One' and what happened. Vivian shifts back in her seat, for the first time not hanging on every word past Titania's lips. Her eyes narrow slightly in concern as she asks the next question quietly. The response to the rats was visceral, this one is more measured. "Were they killed? The woman and her abuser?" Dogs, Vivian glances down for a moment as she thinks about that. Despite herself she does spy a look at Xiu as she walks away before she looks back to Titania. She is still concerned about the implications. She glances at the other two present when neither of them seem to express any concern or issue with Titania's story. She again feels a bit out of place between these three people.

Titania chuckles quietly. "If you would like to come and have lunch with me and the women one night, we usually take over a portion of the kitchen or we order Wafflemania next door. It is a VERY expensive place. It's nearly $100 just to walk in the door. Three drink minimum and tip for the bartender. Then whatever you might tip for the woman or women on the stage and then if you pay for a personal performance -- there's a fee and tips there too. Coming into Club 215 as a client is not a cheap evening. But a guest -- that's different." THere is a directive to meet Kohne and Titania nods. "I will." Kroshka peers at Sark. Titania clears her throat. "He didn't call you fat," he informs the cat who goes back to his aggressive-seeming but really quite harmless chewing and attacking. Titania considers the problem and nods. "Hmm.. that does become a dilemma. We'll have to see what Kroshka thinks about killing them. He's QUITE lazy." He is not! LOOK AT HIM HOW FIERCE! CHOMP. He gnaws on one of Sark's fingers. She meets Vivian's gaze and holds it for a moment. It's POSSIBLE that the intent is to build anticipation. She might have the tiniest bit of a dramatic flare. "They left my home alive. That's all I can tell you for certain. They were pretty severely wounded, though." She doesn't say HOW they left, of course. Ambulance, back of a limo, could be anything. Titania herself doesn't seem like she would do anything nefarious.

And, well, what Vivian gets to spy as Xiu walks towards that dumbwaiter is graceful predatory musculature in motion. That witch is, indeed, ripped. She is not the prettiest (Though not a bad looker by any means), but that physique is something else. And she is clearly not shy about it as she leans towards the dumbwaiter, slips her dishes in, and then slaps the button to send the thing up. "Kohne sounds serious to you, Sark?" she says and glances over her shoulder at him, grinning before she turns. "Quite the opposite with me. We never miss a chance to poke fun at Steele. In a good way. We care." she remarks as she wanders back towards her chair, and then settles down, softly exhaling as she gets comfortable. She still makes no mentions about The One, having remained silent through that story. There have been glances towards Titania. Perhaps the understanding kind. Perhaps she simply feels no comment is needed. Instead she grins at Titania's offer. "A nighttime lunch with the staff? Sure. I like things casual and cozy." she remarks and tilts her head. "If you do not mind me freeloading a bit. My lifestyle...is not exactly the type where making cash usually happens other than finding a coin in a fountain or on the sidewalk." It might be a bit doubtful that a self-declared oldschool witch like her couldn't make cash if she wanted to, through...means. But then again, she mentioned something about a hobo guise, as well as living an outdoor lifestyle. Who needs cash? Krishka's antics have her distracted for a moment, and she lets out a soft chuckle, lightly shaking her head, before her eyes find Vivian for a moment. "And speaking of getting into trouble in the city.." she murmurs. "Naturally I need to give the warning not to...reveal yourself to others unless you are really sure it is safe." She gestures sideways. "Which is why this place here is so...liberating."

Sark perks up at the look from Titania, then looks down to Kroshka, and laughs at the reassurance, "No, I just said you are a big boy. You ARE a big cat. But there's nothing wrong with fat either. I have a big fat scaly butt. Ask Xiu." The commentary about Kohne gets a small nod, but he offers a disclaimer, "I havent gotten to talk to him since Caressa was around, so its been a while. I am sure he has lightened up since then." He does, however, agree with her warning to Vivian, "I have to be careful who I can speak to. USUALLY if someone can see my scales, it kinda makes them okay for me. its the 'perfectly normal' people I have to avoid, or it becomes pitchfork and torches time again."

There was a held breath in Vivian's lungs that she releases in a sigh when Titania reveals that the two interlopers were not killed. She smiles, not knowing who these two people are but happy still that they weren't ended. "Gotcha, sorry. I never should have implied otherwise." She lifts her left hand and rubs at her neck again, eyes fixing once more on Titania. The Russian woman is making eye contact and Vivian gets lost in her eyes. "I wouldn't mind visiting." Her voice is soft, unsure if the invitation was to Xiu or the table but Vivian is interested all the same, clearly fascinated by Titania. She blinks at Xiu's advice and then looks back to her with a smile before also offering an affirmative nod to Sarke. "I appreciate the advice. I already know to keep secrets safe in the right circles but it's never a bad to have a reminder. It is a nice place, nice to unwind without distractions."

Titania didn't say they weren't killed. She said they were alive when they left her home. "How about Tuesday? That's a slower night in the back, but believe it or not it's actually QUITE busy. Would would have thought that Tuesday would rival Friday?" SHe waves a hand. "You're welcome. Both of you. I'm afraid that I can't invite you, Mr. Sark. Not there. Past the front room, the only men who are allowed are ones that have passed extensive background checks and are legally allowed to carry firearms." For protection, of course. She leans slightly toward Vivian. "You never implied anything. There is no stupid question other than the one not asked." She's very mild, very sweet even. She nods about keeping secrets. "And this place, it is my understanding, sometimes gathers people with many affiliations. HERE, we speak only of magic and sorcery and psychic abilities, regardless of any other interests you might have." That brings her attention to Sark and the cat. The cat has now involved his tail and is ferociously 'whipping' Sark's arm with that long floof rope. SO fierce. Totes. Yes. "Which.. makes me wonder, Mr. Sark.. how it is you are here. You clearly must be trusted. I'm just curious and do not expect a full recount of why you're hanging out with our particular people."

"Oh, oh!" Xiu says, and lifts her hands, palms towards center as she spreads them. "Sark *does* have the fattest scaley butt. And you just want to *smack* it-" she mimics it with a rapid sideways swing of one hand "-and then watch the shiny scales move in pretty patterns as the waves slowly travel over those globes, back and forth." she delivers it with an absolutely serious tone, too. Yep. Definitely not a very formal witch unless required to be. She grins and relaxes her posture, glancing over at Sark before she blows him a kiss after sticking her tongue out at him. With those shenanigans said and done, she glances over at Titania and nods, making a mental note. "Tuesday." she repeats, etching it in. "Tuesday night. I will be there." she decides, before she taptaps the table with the sides of her fingertips. "Mh. yes, this place is a safe space, but a golden rule is also to talk about yourself as much as you want, but do not talk much about those not present. And to know that, yes, this is also a mixed place. You will not find our enemies here, but it is as I said earlier - not everybody walking down here is your friend." the question shot towards Sark has her lgihtly smirk - but the answer to that one is all his.

Sark is REALLY getting into playing with the cat, mock growling at him while giving the animal an actually pretty affectionate scritching and rubbing on. Evidence that his attention is still split is how he glances up when Titania addresses him specifically and he nods towards Xiu, "I and another dragon are official members of a Chantry with her and Steele and a few others. I am also a recognized protector of the local fae freehold, so I think I have gotten known as a safe person to talk to who does not reveal other's secrets." He pauses, then just casually throws out, "Ive also helped burn a Marauder alive when he started plaguing the area. I can...help a mage mitigate their paradox when they have to go...what is it? Extra blatant."

There is the unstated possibility that they died later, but it seems Vivian didn't make that connection. Her mind doesn't quite work in those directions. The black haired woman smiles at the invitation from Titania and nods her head in instant acceptance. Titania leans toward her and Vivian leans in a bit closer as well. "You have security guards? That's good." She nods her head in response to that, casting an apologetic look to Sark that he won't be able to attend before she looks back to the red haired woman. Her eyes briefly cut to the side towards Xiu at the mention of 'other interests,' curious what other secrets the Witch may have. Clearly Sark has other interests. Best left unsaid though as she looks to Sark for his answer to Titania's question. Her eyes remain on Sark as Xiu makes her comedic statement, a quick chuckle slipping past her lips. About the only thing drawing Vivian's attention away from Titania is Sark's introduction of interesting tidbits that catch Vivian's ear.

Lavender has arrived.

Titania laughs quietly at Xiu's remarks about Sark's butt. "I think I would like to see the pretty scales, but I'm not sure about smacking big shimmery butts. That's usually a special request and not a cheap one either." There are implications there. But imagine THIS woman smacking a butt! No way at all. "I look forward to seeing you, Xiu, and you as well, Vivian." She isn't apologetic toward Sark. Rules are rules afterall, and a dragon he might be, but a woman he is not. The cat hisses a few times, but it's all in play. No ACTUAL fuss. "Is... this Kohne a dragon? No, you said Raven." She considers Sark's answer but then finally nods faintly. Marauder gets a flare of SOMETHING negative in Titania's otherwise very calm demeanor. To Vivian, she nods. "I have almost as many security guards as I do dancers. I wasn't at all joking when I said that I keep people safe." Other interests, indeed. Titania doesn't even acknowledge the statement. The three and a huge cat are down here in the basement. THe cat is keeping Sark entertained while everyone chats. They're all at approximately the big table. Lavender comes walking down the stairs, looking back periodically as if looking for someone. As she makes it to the bottom, she smiles and waves to those here. "Hey! I was hoping we'd run into some people here. It is so good to see you Sark, Xiu." She's not really sure she's met either of the other two so she introduces herself, "I'm Lavender Rhoades. Nice to meet you both!" Her name being so appropriate.

Xiu continues to lightly drum the table with the sides of her index fingers - before she delivers one final, synchronois tap, before she smiles and slowly pushes her chair back. "I am afraid, though.." she says as she turns a bit and pulls the crimson cloth off her chair. "That I need to get going for today. Streets to lurk in, people to watch." A chuckle leaves her as she folds the cloth. "But it was most certainly wondeful meeting both of you." Titania and Vivian get a long glance each. "And as I said, Vivian - welcome back to Prospect. I hope to see you around quite some more, you will make many good acquaintances." Titania next. "And I will see you on Tuesday. Do not worry, I will find my way there. Just tell the girls to be on the lookout for..." she pauses and tilts her head. "No, not the bum. Hmh. Do not worry, they will mention me." A smirk moves her lips, before she turns again. "Sark! Keep that butt scaley and fat." she remarks to him and winks, before she leans down a bit towards the cat. "And Mister Krishka, you continue to take good care of Miss Briskova." With that all said she pushes the chair back into place, and heads for her neatly folded pile of clothes - when Lavender makes her way down! The witch blinks and grins. "lavender, hey!" she says, lifting a hand to wiggle fingers in greeting. "I am just about to head out." Noticing he glances back up she arches an eyebrow. "He is not here yet, lovergirl, keep calm.." she murmurs and softly laughs. "Use the time without distraction to get to know those two, hmh?"

Sark glances up when someone else can be heard coming down the stairs. When he sees its Lavender, he grins and lifts one hand away from the cat to wave at her furiously and call out, "Hey there!" before he goes back to scritching on the animal. FINALLY he scoops the big cat up to set him back down on the floor, with a murmur, "You both definitely have to come out to the island and enjoy yourself stalking around soon." Xiu's comment gets a wink and a wiggle of his butt on his chair, before calling at her in a tease, "You know you like staring at it. Be safe. See you soon."

At last Vivian pulls herself away from the fascinating trio. She smiles to each in turn, "I really enjoyed meeting you three. Thank you." She rises from her seat and purses her lips for offering up, "Oh, could we exchange numbers before I leave? I'd like to get in contact later about.. well all the various things we discussed." She laughs at that and then pulls out her phone, in preparation for perhaps trading numbers with anyone. She does look up to Lavender and waves with a smile. "Vivian, nice to meet you. I was just heading out but I'm sure we'll run into each other again." And then her attention turns to Xiu and she has a slightly apologetic look on her face, realizing she may have not given the Witch as much attention as she was due. "Definitely, I'd love to chat again some time." And then she will fairly promptly head out. Titania reaches almost by instinct into a pocket to pull out a card. She pulls out three and hands them off. Beautiful card, white written in gold with a phone number and nothing else. "My personal number, but sometimes my phones just stop working, so please leave a message or send a text if I don't answer." It's a HORRIBLE thin. She smiles at the fun and Kroshka rights himself on the floor and tucks himself behind Titania's knees. Lavender gets a friendly, quiet smile and she also looks around up the stairs to see who might be coming.

Vivian has disconnected.

Xiu has left.

Lavender sniffs herself a bit. "Is it me? They both left?" She seems a bit disappointed and then looks back to the stairs wondering if someone else is coming. "Storm was parking the car, but he /may/ be busy on a phone call, or snagging muffins or tea or... who knows what. Maybe just chatting with Nina."

Sark FINALLY returns his attention back to his destroyed muffin once he has set the cat back down. He shakes his head at Lavender and rumbles, "Nono. We've been down here a while. Im sure people did eventually need to go to deal with other things. Miss Xiu usually needs to scoot off right about this time of day anyway? I dont know the other very well, but this sounded like it was all pretty new to her, so she might have been suffering from information overload by now. We were talking about a LOT..."

Titania looks up the stairs herself. Storm? That seems like someone she might need to meet, but her attention slides back to Lavender. "Hello there. No, it had looked for a bit like they were both ready to go. I DO hope the young girl is okay." Her voice is heavily accented, Russian, but her enunciation is perfect. She's easy to understand. "There was a lot to talk about. I'm glad that I didn't offend her with the talk of my club." SHe turns her full attention to Lavender. "Hello there. I'm Titania Boriskova, Stormbringer, enchantress. This is Kroshka." The HUGE norwegian forest cat peeks out from behind Titania's knees where he has become a foot rest. "Kroshka means 'crumb' because he was so small when I found him."

Lavender looks a bit relieved. "It's too bad we arrived too late. Next time I hope." Giving her attention to Titania, she start speaking to her, "Nice to meet you, Tit...Oh my! What a cutie! Can I?" She gestures toward the cat, and bends down a bit, "Hello there, Kroshka. Aren't you a beautiful feline! Would you mind if I were to give you scritches and feel your gorgeous fur?"

Sark grins to himself as he listens to Lavender gush over the cat, popping the last of his muffin into his mouth. The young man gives the dumbwaiter a considering glance, remembering Xiu used it to get her order filled earlier, and starts considering more food. He offers to Titania, "The offer of the phone number and the visit to the island is open to you as well. Just text me and we can work out a time?"

"Kroshka, it is your lucky day. Go and say hi." Kroshka is comfy, you see, so it takes just a moment to lure him out, but once he moves, he wanders over and offers Lavender a little rub of his body against her leg. "Thank you, Mr. Sark. I don't know if Kroshka will eat rats or not but I would certainly love to come and visit. I love the water." She turns her attention back to Lavender. "We were talking, among many other things, about what it is we do." "Myself, I can make magic items, among other things."

Lavender is smitten with the cat - of course. "Oh you are majestic. Storm will be totally jealous I have given you attention, but I'll explain. Thank you for allowing me to show affection." She is super polite with cats - knowing how to speak with them. "Magic items? You said enchantress, so not a mage, but a sorcerer? That is cool." She asks Sark, "Sounds like you should plan a tour of your island. Or at least an end of summer party."

Sark bows his head at Titania, and chirps, "Of course!" To Lavender, he chuckles softly and explains, "I ahve thought about hosting a gathering or a party out there - there IS plenty of space and Im sure I can put enough treats out that the horses will end up thoroughly spoiled by evening..."

Lavender gives the cat all the pets that he allows, as she takes a seat. "I'm not sure Storm is going to make it down here. It must have been a client that has delayed him." She shrugs. "If you host somethint, it could be an opportunity for a potluck? Have you heard of those?" She does not want to take all cultural things to be assumed a Dragon would know. "I'd be happy to help. Especially to help tailor treats to the horses. I have not had the opportunity to speak to horses, but I'm sure they could tell me so many interesting things."

Sark chuckles softly at that and nods, "I cant really talk to them so I tend to just offer applie pieces and carrots, which they seem to go pretty crazy for. STELLA is just now learning to be able to talk to them...she's starting to develop some mental powers of her own, so if you dont mind that, I think she might could use some help or confidence boosting in that regard as well? I was just telling Miss Titania that I feel bad not being able to offer her any advice on how to handle and develop her powers." Lavender ohs, "I'm not sure how to help with a power to speak to animals. For me, I was born with it. It is just who I am. But I certainly can help her what I can? Perhaps a bit of a tutor? Sounds like she has her own thing going on, but I'm happy to lend any advice."

Titania's phone rang. She looked sadly toward her pocket and then had to fumble with the phone for a moment or two. For all that grace and poise and obvious money, she has just a plain old flip phone. Half way to bringing the phone to her ear, there's a little sound that is .. definitely the sound of a phone shorting out. "Hel--oh." She drops the phone on the table like it's hot and peeks at her fingers. The cat is entertained. That's his job. Titania takes a moment then focues back on the conversation. "Who is Storm if I may ask? Xiu said 'lovergirl' so I am guessing he is your beau?" She glances toward the stairs again. She's ALMOST eager to meet people. "The only animal I can speak to is Kroshka."

Sark nods slowly at Lavender, "I think having someone who can already talk to them might help. YOu...ah...how does it go 'know the lingo'? Where I dont. You can warn her when she's being rude or not, that kind of thing?" He blinks as Titania's phone kinda dies on her, but that smile reappears when she asks about Storm. He just grins and isnt saying a damned thing.

Lavender is in a rhythm, and has that cat soaking in the love for as long as he wishes - which knowing cats could end in a split second. "Storm is my... boyfriend? Other half? Destiny? Yes, I'll go with that. Destiny. Something I think my Grandmother saw coming years ago, and I only found out the day we met. I also have a cat I named Storm. It makes for some mild entertainment. He's sure my grandmother was referring to the cat, and not him." She grins and blushes a bit. "Animals.. yes.." she got a little lost when talking about that handsome man! "Certainly. Animals speak in ways beyond what most consider. It is body language. It is what you can sense from their eyes. The way a tail moves. The ridge of their back. Placement of feet. It just takes time, and if Stella is learning said magical powers, it just is a matter of practice before she is more fluent."

The cat? Totally happy to be petted. Maybe forever. "Oh! Your Destiny. I love that!" Titania exclaims happily, but quietly. She isn't a loud person. God help the one that makes her actually raise her voice. "You named your boyfriend after your cat?" she teases lightly. She looks back and forth between the two of them and then down at the cat. "Do not bite," she tells the cat just as he opens his mouth to play rough. That mouth closes. Clearly, he understands. There's a meow-meow that kind of sounds like 'sorry'. Titania's gaze slides back up to Lavender. "It sounds very romantic. And maybe your grandmother meant both of them, hmm?"

When Titania warns the cat not to bite, Sark lifts his hands and wiggles his fingers at the cat, offering, "You cant see it, but my skin is armor plated, so I can play a little rough. Miss Lavender doesnt have extra scales hidden under her skin." He does, however, nod at the point Lavender made about animal speech and adds, "Im sure she will. Practice and everything, but comments from someone else will help too, I think. Thank you."

Lavender mmms, "Not the first time a cat gnawed on my hand. But appreciated if you do not, dear one." She shakes her head to Titana, "No, I've had my cat, Storm, for 4 years. I only met Storm, my handsome man, in July of this year. Thus why really I know he is my Destiny. My grandmother was a Verbena, and saw into the future. Storm helped me the night we met to speak with my grandmother's familiar, Midnight. I had no idea he was still hanging around my home, watching, waiting. He gave us a clue and we found my Grandmother's grimoire. Within it was the letter she wrote to me before she passed, that has been waiting for me for several years."

The cat isn't aggressive. He just wanted to see what would happen. Apparently, nothing, because that bite turns into a rough lick. Slurp. Titania is briefly distracted by what Sark says. "Armor... under your ski--Oh. You're a dragon, yes. Even in man form." Acceptance, but not afraid of asking questions regardless. Back to Lavender, she nods. "I believe in that. Destiny. Without my Aleksei, I don't know what I might have become, where I would be right now. Certainly not sitting here with a dragon and a ... Verbena? Like Xiu. A witch."

Sark grins at the conversation, giving Titania a short little nod of agreement, but doesnt say anything to interrupt the flow of the chat. Instead, the comment about Xiu gets him to offer, "Miss Xiu is what they say...a handful. I can find myself spending hours chatting with her and losing track of time. Ive gotten her interested in the music lists I've been creating in the music room as well." With that said, he offers Lavender a bit more of a warm smile and a murmured, "You two do make a very cute couple..."

Lavender shakes her head to Titania, "I'm... a mage. But I.. I don't really belong anywhere. Xiu has spoken about leading me onto that path, but nothing has happened. For now, I'm just an orphan. My grandmother passed away before I awakened. So I had no one to guide me really. Until this year? I really was just wandering alone." With a warm smile, "But now I have Storm to help me. And there is a chantry I'm a part of, but we have not done much with that yet. Storm is a Dreamspeaker. I'm really not sure what fits me exactly. Maybe I'm just meant to be me. Lavender."

"She seems a very interesting sort," Titania tells Sark, but something Lavender says catches her attention and she shakes her head, her red hair whipping about her face. "Oh, no dear. You belong HERE, yes? Maybe it possibly took you a little while but you have, as they say, found your people. I am guessing that Orphan is a term for people who have not chosen a... Tradition? Is that the word?" She waves a hand. "Ridiculous. You can change reality. It doesn't matter whether or not you have a title. You have this place and you have a chantry. (Storm is a CoX)." Then she smiles. "Yes, always be you. Be the best you. If there is a label for that, then so be it, but YOU is the only label you need."

Sark shakes his head lightly, "I am not sure I understand the reasons for the Traditions more than to have like minded groups to gather together. It sounds like if you dont feel drawn to one, you shouldnt need to claim one? Titles are things to attempt to get respect from others...if that is not something you are taken with, there's no need for it."