Sufficiently Advanced Technology (IC)

[Raveled]

The theater's marquee rose into the sky, shining neon and spotlights against the low cloud cover. Jessica Parker glanced up as she walked out into the sunlight, squinting reflexively after the relative dim and coolness of the movie theater. "I told you that wouldn't be bad," she said to the woman walking next to her. "Aren't you glad you got out of your warehouse? While the sun was still out?" She glanced around the sidewalk and started walking in a random direction. "So what do you want to do next?"

[Fox]

Mara hunched a little bit as she came back out into the sun, slinging her worn but sturdy cloth messenger back back over her shoulders. "Yes, fine," she replied, though there wasn't much of the implied sourness in her voice. "Admitting defeat on that point. A good movie, and a good theater. A little too crowded during this time of day, but otherwise enjoyable. The sun is...." She paused, glancing upward and squinting. "....merely a necessary evil."

Not that she'd admit it, but her mood was considerably better than normal; usually when she went out to treat herself she did so alone, and typically late at night - it was nice to spend time around people, for once. probably heathier - social skills won't improve themselves - would usually follow up with nice dinner - suggestion may seem inappropriate given company? - mmh "Not sure. Not used to being out at this time of day. Any suggestions?"

[Raveled]

Jessica rolled her shoulders underneath her parka, checking her watch before stuffing her hands in her coat's pockets. "It's almost noon," she noted. "We could catch lunch." Her stomach agreed as soon as the subject of food was brought up and she scanned the immediate storefronts. Several advertised sports bars or other loud, wild establishments; Jessica normally wouldn't've had a problem with that, but she didn't want to force Mara into a situation like that. She noticed one sign, rather demure, crammed in among all the others. "What about over there," she asked, nodding at the little hole-in-the-wall. "Looks... um, cozy?" She glanced at her friend and giggled at the idea.

[Fox]

perhaps not so inappropriate "Sure. Could use a meal. Haven't eaten since....mmh." She tilted her head as they made their way over. "...last night." spaghetti - slightly overcooked - sauce was very good though

"Shouldn't laugh at small restaurants," she noted. "Some of the best food. Privately-owned, quality ingredients...deli along the South River has excellent sandwiches. Gyro cart makes its way toward Greenbank through the Fens sometimes...delicious. Wish they came closer, but probably isn't very safe."

[Raveled]

The entrance to the cafe lead the two young woman deeper into the building, before opening out into a, well, cozy and well-light space. Several tables were scattered around a smallish area, with a swinging door leading back into a steam-shrouded, noisy area that was more than likely the kitchen. A heavyset man with Greek coloring welcomed the pair with effusive praise in broken English, but Jessica's eyes tracked past him to the tables, where she spotted a familiar, nattily-dressed figure. She smiled and waved, grabbing Mara's hand and dragging her over to the table. "Blake! Honey, I didn't expect to find you here!"

[Lone Star]

Blake turned around and smiled at his lovely girlfriend. "Well, hey there, babe! Yeah, I used to come here fairly often in the olden days. How are you?" He gave her a warm embrace, and smiled. "Who's your friend?" Blake extended his hand to her. "My name's Blake. Nice to meet you." She looks...familiar. Maybe another superhero I've met before?

[Raveled]

Jessica nodded and took a step back, giving Mara room to move forward. "I don't think you two have met before. Mara, this is Blake Salazar, my boyfriend." She reached down and put a hand on his back. "Blake, this is Mara Hallowman. She's my best friend, and we work together at the Lab." She glanced around, noting a few empty chairs. "Did you already order?"

[Fox]

Mara winced twice - once in reflex at hearing her own last name, and the other accompanying a sharp glance in Jessica's direction when she was associated with the Lab. what is she - mmh - I'm not - I mean I am but I'm not - sometimes a secret identity is more trouble than - ugh She made a mental note to have some words with Jessica later, in private, and turned her attention back to Blake. talk like a normal person and hope he doesn't make the connection - hate having to watch what I say - annoying "Hello," she said, nodding. "I've heard a bit about you. Jessica seems...fond of you."

[Lone Star]

Blake smiled and stood up, wrapping an arm around her. He kissed her on the cheek and rested his head on her shoulder. "Yes I am. We're very happy together. So what are you two doing all the way out here?" He knew Mara from somewhere- but he just couldn't place it. Blake inwardly shrugged and gave up trying to think. "I'm just taking a little break. I've got a client who wants to visit later on in the evening- some ghost problems, I think. Nothing I can't handle, though." His business had been going well enough. It was tough dropping out of Claremont, but he needed space outside of school anyway. Most of what he needed to know for real life he was teaching himself from old textbooks he'd bought from a half-price bookstore. It seems he still had a little bit of preternatural wisdom left over from his experience with The Unspeakable One.

[Raveled]

Jessica returned the hug for a moment, then broke it off to drag a couple of chairs over to Blake's table. "We were just out seeing a movie." She glanced over at Mara, grinning at her. "I dragged her out of her dark cave, so I kinda owe her lunch." She seated herself and waved for her friend to take the other one. "So you've got clients now? That's good!" She turned to Mara and gavethe other woman the quick version: "Blake was in Claremont until recently, but now he's started a business as a sort of magical troubleshooter for folks."

[Fox]

"'s a warehouse," she grumbled, "not a cave. Perfectly well-lit. Would be lit if the city grid went down, even." She took a seat, brushing some hair out of her tired eyes. "I like my warehouse. It's mine. And it's quiet."

change the subject - nobody cares "Claremont? Haven't visited. Graduated, dropped out? ...suppose that's not my business. Curious, though. Never- mmh. Not really a...school person. Myself."

[Lone Star]

Blake nodded, understanding. "I'm with you on that. I didn't have any formal education before Claremont, and I won't really have any after. But yeah, I did end up dropping out of Claremont. It was a good school- but it was time I moved on. Besides, I couldn't keep up with my business and classes at the same time. So you said you had a warehouse? Do you invent like Jessica does?" For some reason, Blake wasn't making the connection that Mara was a superhero- but he never very quick on the uptake.

[Fox]

Mara blinked, frowning for a moment - the frown got a little deeper when she realized she'd only made it a few sentences before lapsing back into fragments and rambling. ugh - not like anyone even needs those words anyway

She tried again, focusing more on not being distracted from 'proper' English. "I...yes, sort of. I dabble....it keeps me busy. Haven't- I haven't built a full, high-tech suit, though." yet

[Lone Star]

"Oh, I gotcha. Well I do inventing myself, but more of the magical kind. Like this!" Blake could hardly resist the urge to show off his new stuff. He whipped out a silver wand, and held one end of it. Sparks began emanating from the end of it, and Blake focused the power a little. A stream of lightning a few inches long shot from the end. "Cool party trick, huh?" He doused the wand by dipping it in his drink. "I've got other stuff, but it's probably not safe for indoors. What have you invented, Mara?"

[Fox]

She hesitated, and started digging through her scruffy cloth messenger bag to pull out little parts and scraps of metal to buy herself time. "....things," she finally replied, rapidly assembling some parts into a little dome on an inch-high stand. "I...dabble. Build whatever comes to mind, mostly. I don't know anything about magic, sort of mistrust the apparent lack of rules. But...."

Mara glanced around to make sure no one was looking before picking up a fork and tapping it on the top of the dome. A quiet little arc of electricity formed between the two metals as she pulled the fork away, and she watched the lightning play across the fork's surface as she moved it around a few centimeters from the device. "....I have found that there are always other methods."

[Raveled]

Jessica sat back, listening to Blake and Mara talk. They seemed to be getting along well -- Mara was even using proper sentence structure, which was rare for her. Did she understand how important this chance meeting was to her friend? In any case, this was going a lot better than Jessica had dared to hope it would.

The young woman's stomach growled, reminding her why she'd come here in the first place. There were several menus stacked in the middle of the table and she grabbed one as a waiter exited the kitchen, oriented on them, and advanced.

[Fox]

Mara glanced at Jessica, then at what Jessica was glancing at, and quickly swept the little device off the table and into her bag. Coughing lightly, she reached out for a menu of her own. "It...is probably time to order, isn't it? ....sorry. Suppose...I suppose waiters probably don't appreciate having their silverware turned into science experiments." She buried her face behind the menu, grimacing. great first impression - use the restaurant table as a workbench - well done

[Lone Star]

She hesitated, and started digging through her scruffy cloth messenger bag to pull out little parts and scraps of metal to buy herself time. "....things," she finally replied, rapidly assembling some parts into a little dome on an inch-high stand. "I...dabble. Build whatever comes to mind, mostly. I don't know anything about magic, sort of mistrust the apparent lack of rules. But...."

Mara glanced around to make sure no one was looking before picking up a fork and tapping it on the top of the dome. A quiet little arc of electricity formed between the two metals as she pulled the fork away, and she watched the lightning play across the fork's surface as she moved it around a few centimeters from the device. "....I have found that there are always other methods."

Blake watched with awe. "That's amazing, Mara. I don't know anything about science, other than what Jess attempts to explain to me, but that's about as effective as trying to break down the Berlin Wall with a salad fork. I guess magic makes more sense to me because of the lack of rules." He smiled at Mara, and put his hand over Jessica's. "To me, it's just like art."

Mara glanced at Jessica, then at what Jessica was glancing at, and quickly swept the little device off the table and into her bag. Coughing lightly, she reached out for a menu of her own. "It...is probably time to order, isn't it? ....sorry. Suppose...I suppose waiters probably don't appreciate having their silverware turned into science experiments." She buried her face behind the menu, grimacing. great first impression - use the restaurant table as a workbench - well done

Blake leaned over to read Jessica's menu. "The falafel here is to die for, but the gyros are the best thing here. They make their hummus fresh every day." Blake said, his stomach growling like a tiger preparing to strike.

[Raveled]

Jessica grinned and leaned closer to Blake. "I was kind of thinking this pastistio stuff, with some fasolada soup." She winked at him, their faces very close. "It says here that it's the national food of Greece, you know."

She enjoyed whispering with her boyfriend a few more seconds, then the server was at their table. The young inventor sat up straighter and cleared her throat before ordering. "Ah, yes. I'll have the pastistio, with the fasolada to begin with." She took another quick glance at the menu. "And, um, some of the bottled lemonade sounds lovely!" She gave the server a bright smile as she replaced the menu in the middle of the table.

[Fox]

Mara frowned over the menu for a moment before putting it down, raising an eyebrow at the whispering lovebirds. "Two gyros," she said, turning to face the waiter. "Regular...and just water to drink for me."

[Lone Star]

Jessica grinned and leaned closer to Blake. "I was kind of thinking this pastistio stuff, with some fasolada soup." She winked at him, their faces very close. "It says here that it's the national food of Greece, you know."

She enjoyed whispering with her boyfriend a few more seconds, then the server was at their table. The young inventor sat up straighter and cleared her throat before ordering. "Ah, yes. I'll have the pastistio, with the fasolada to begin with." She took another quick glance at the menu. "And, um, some of the bottled lemonade sounds lovely!" She gave the server a bright smile as she replaced the menu in the middle of the table.

Blake lowered his eyelashes and kissed her cheek quickly before handing over his menu. "What the lovely lady next to me is having." Blake said with a grin. As the waiter walked off, Blake turned to the two of them. He noticed Mara's slight discomfort and made a mental note, but he kept his arm around Jessica's waist, out of habit. "So, Jessica, tell me about the Lab. I remember you mentioning it once- you said you both work there?"

[Raveled]

"Mm. Well, it's not like we're all at the same company," Jessica said. "We each have our area of expertise. I tend towards more traditional areas of engineering, while Mara's very good at more esoteric sort of stuff. We've got another scientist there who's all about quantum mechanics -- very cutting edge theoretical physics, really. And Miss America's a wizard with computers." She paused a moment, thinking. "I suppose when I look at it, we've got the physical sciences covered, but we're not very good in regards to the life sciences. I mean, we have a biotech wing and a hospice, but we don't have anyone really working on research in that field, you know?"

[Fox]

Mara frowned, looking sidelong at Jessica for a moment before responding. "...my involvement may have been...overstated. It isn't like my name is on the company records anywhere." That last sentences was accompanied by a swift kick to Jessica's shins. what are you doing "But yes. The founding members covered several fields - engineering, physics, chemical - but not biology. Am - I am sure that eventually the Lab will find someone. It's an important field. The medical labs do probably have researchers, though, even without a...big name. Behind them."

[Lone Star]

Blake nodded. "Well, I'm glad you two are putting your talents to use. I like to think I use my talents to help people as well- but I think the thing is that I need more staff. I only know so much about magic, and it's tough taking all of the calls that come in. I guess I'll have to hold a tryout eventually." Blake waved his hand nonchalantly.

[Raveled]

The waiter nodded over their orders and retreated to the kitchen, while Jessica looked at Blake and gave a frown. "Honey, are you sure about hiring people? I mean, the business might be going good, but you haven't even been open a year. Don't you think you should get your feet under you, maybe get some cash in the bank? They say most small businesses fail in--"

The rest of her business advice was cut short as their waiter reemerged walking backward, his attention fixed on a shapely young woman whose finger was in his face. "Don't nobody move," she shouted. "This is a good-old fashioned stick-up!" She laughed shrilly, turning to 'cover' the customers with her finger. Following her out of the kitchen was a thin young man; the family resemblance was unmistakable. "If anyone so much as twitches without us telling you, we're gonna do something like THIS!" She pointed her finger at the ceiling dramatically. Her brother mirrored it, back-to-back, and in a flash of light a large section of the roof vanished, blown into dust. The duo lowered their arms again, pointing them all around. "So don't get any funny ideas, right?"