[Jarod Nightingale] Last night Jarod had been found in a trendy cocktail lounge, drinking shots of expensive tequila that were even pricier than usual (call it a tax for the ambiance.) Tonight, the Verbena Disciple's mood had taken him in a decidedly different direction. This was not the sort of tea shop that one might find on the mile or around campus. It wasn't hip. It didn't have Christmas decorations. There wasn't a menu on the wall with cleverly named drink choices. In fact, there wasn't even a proper sign on the door (it was marked instead with a single Chinese character that meant: tea) but to the locals of this particular neighborhood in Chinatown, it was by far and away the best place to go for a warm drink on a cold evening. The shop was run by an elderly woman who'd immigrated with her family from Shanghai, and although she spoke conversational English, she always appreciated being able to hold a conversation in her native Mandarin.
This was probably part of the reason why Jarod was always given a discount, though given the low cost of tea and his rather sizable resources, the gesture was hardly necessary. (The other part of the reason probably had something to do with his attractiveness, and the way he'd playfully attempt to flirt with the woman whenever he came in.) He was in a corner by himself tonight, though, at one of a handful of small wooden tables where he sat drinking a cup of what looked like some variety of green tea (it was pale in color and smelled faintly floral) while his attention was buried in a book. He wasn't in an expensive suit tonight, though his clothes were still on the higher end of the price spectrum - dark-tinted designer jeans and a soft black sweater layered over a white collared button-down. A black coat was hung on the back of his chair.
[Lara Wrathburn] Cold outside indeed minus nine felt more like minus twenty with the wind gusting as it was, and the local's weren't the only ones who knew a good spot to get some tea. It was evident in Jarod's presence here tonight, and it is confirmed even more as the door swings open and in strides Lara.
The cultist was dressed for the weather, or at least dressed for it on the outside, she wore an ankle long leather coat that kept the howling winds at bay. She wore leather gloves to keep those long slender fingers warm and around her neck was a deep purple scarf. She smiled to the proprietor as she stepped through and though she spoke only english she somehow had managed to charm the older woman, at least to the point that she was ushered in with a friendly smile and not a questionable glance.
As she strode into the tea house Lara's eyes fell upon the semi familiar face of Jarod and instead of continuing to the seat the hostess had selected, Lara asked quietly if she could join him. The hostess smiled in a plotting way and nodded, which was all Lara required, a moment later she was looking down at Jarod with an impish grin. "Do you care for some company?"
[Jarod Nightingale] [Awareness]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 (Failure at target 6)
[Jarod Nightingale] He was focused tonight - attention buried in the text on the pages of the leather-bound book that he had open on the table in front of him. Most of the time he was able to sense a familiar mage's resonance approaching before he even heard them, but tonight that wasn't the case. His senses registered both the creak of the door and the brush of incoming cold air from outside, but he didn't look up to inspect the new patron. Not until her physical presence came into the space around his table, and her voice interrupted his train of thought. That was when he looked up and met Lara's eyes, and there was recognition there (because he had a good memory for faces, and she was hardly the sort of person that one forgot easily.)
There was a faint hint of smile on his lips as he contemplated her offer. "Hmm," he pondered. "I suppose it would depend on what that company entails. But you're welcome to have a seat, if you wish." And here he gestured toward the empty chair opposite him. There was a bit of green ribbon lying on the table next to the book, and he picked this up now and slid it between the pages to mark his place. If Lara happened to glance at it, she'd notice that whatever it was he was reading was written in an Asian language. A moment later, he'd closed it and pushed it lightly to one side so that he could focus on present company.
"Lara, right? You're friends with Thomas."
[Lara Wrathburn] "Yes Thomas, or as I prefer Tommy boy." She commented as she watched him as he put the ribbon in its place and gestured towards the seat across from him. She turned then to the hostess and placed her order so that the hostess could go, she did have other business to take care of after all.
Lara moved to remove her coat as the offer is extended and as she does it reveals an asymetrical knee length dress in green which hugged her curves just so. She hung her coat over the back of the chair and slid herself into the chair and that impish grin grew. "I think we can negotiate just what it entails, I'm sure were reasonable enough to do so." Her voice smokey and sensuous as she surveyed the Verbena who sat across from her.
"So how have you been Jarod?" She asked politely, starting up casual conversation even as her voice hinted at deeper things, or at least gave the imagination such ammunition to play with.
[Jarod Nightingale] Jarod was hardly a stranger to such inflections. His own voice had a fairly broad range of sensual or leading undertones - some of them subtle, some less so. It was also a fair bet that women (and men) flirted with him on a reasonably frequent basis. So Lara's manner of speaking was not lost on him, but neither was it unusual enough to evoke more than a casually flirtatious response. (This was a game they both played regularly, and they were both good at it.)
She asked him how he was. He could have answered that question in any number of ways, but unsurprisingly, what he said was: "A bit busy, but not bad. Though I'm always in a better mood when I have something pleasurable to enjoy." At this, he held up his tea and took a slow, practiced sip.
"And what about you? Still on good behavior?"
[Lara Wrathburn] Lara smiled, but it was almost as if it were a personal smile, meant more for herself then for Jarod as she listened to him speak, her eyes in a distant place. When he asked her a direct question though that impish grin came back across her features and she raised a brow in curiosity.
"Well, thats a fair question, but that would entirely depend on what your definition of good behavior is wouldn't it? I am quite certain that your version of good behavior would differ from mine, just as much as mine and Tommy's might." She leaves it as an option for conversation before shrugging and looking for her tea, which had yet to arrive. "I'm trying, with what's been going on, its getting hard."
[Jarod Nightingale] Truth be told, he had no idea what Lara's version of good behavior might happen to be. Jarod only knew that she'd mentioned a promise she'd made to curtail her behavior, which, for someone who was Awakened... might have meant any number of things. But of course his assumptions tended to go to certain places - assume various societal definitions of what the average person might consider good or bad. (His own definitions would have been considered more transgressive.) He smirked a little at her response.
"Does Tommy-boy even have a definition of good behavior?" He borrowed Lara's nickname for the Hollow One, because it seemed fitting, but though one might interpret that question as assigning judgment to the decade-younger man, Jarod's tone sounded more affectionately-amused. Perhaps he liked to think of Thomas as a wild entity - lacking conventional morality.
But then the conversation shifted, and Jarod eyed Lara curiously over the rim of his ceramic cup. "Bad news?"
[Lara Wrathburn] Lara giggled first and then laughed as Jarod commented on the nature of Thomas which drew an exasperated smile and a shake of her head, those red and black locks swishing one way and then the other as she did so. "He has one yeah, but I don't think it's one anyone but him would really understand. Though it is fun to guess as to just what it might be." It sounded as if she had wondered at it it a few times herself but what she pieced together was hers and hers alone to know.
She had opened her mouth to address his question when the hostess returned, a rich herbal tea upon a platter which was obviously intended for Lara. The cultist smiled up at the hostess and thanked her as she set it before her and then turned to go, when the hostess was gone and a measure of privacy had returned Lara looked back to Jarod as she picked up her tea and blew gently upon its hot surface.
"Mmm with what I'm doing personally? No...I'd say I'm enjoying myself quite a bit, the problem there is I might be enjoying myself just a touch to much." She winked at him, a hint of mystery in her voice as she let that trail off. "However..." She said as she leaned in a bit for privacy and looked Jarod in those dark blue eyes. "Apparently, the Techies are back in town, and getting rather comfortable, its not a good sign."
[Jarod Nightingale] This was news he'd heard before - at least the last bit. Only just the other night, in fact. Ashley had informed him of the technocratic presence within the city shortly before she'd blown up at him and sent the pieces of their tentative relationship (such as it was) scattering into the wind. While the conclusion of that evening was still the most memorable portion, Jarod certainly had not forgotten the other bit of unpleasantness. He'd been Awake for a long time, you see. He remembered when there was still a war going on, and he'd had enough unpleasant run-ins with the mirrorshades to also understand that the war had never really ended - only gone cold.
"No, I'm sure that it isn't," he remarked, but if he had any other thoughts on the matter, he kept them to himself. Back to the other half of her answer, he lofted an eyebrow in curious consideration. "And here I thought that Cultists didn't believe in too much enjoyment."
[Lara Wrathburn] Lara nodded to this words and gave him a subtle smile as if she had encountered such preconceptions quite frequently amongst the other traditions and she tilted her head slightly as she spoke on the matter. "In many cases you would be right, however it is important that you understand and are able to handle what you are enjoying. With this however it may very well be a little more then I can handle...not that I don't want to."
She grin's then, mischievous and beguiling as she thinks on something, likely whatever it was she was dealing with. "I'm sure you would say the same...if you got involved as well. But, before you ask, I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep you in the dark, as much as I might like to...bring you in, I can't afford to at the moment." She was obtuse that much was certain but there was still a hint of enjoyment in those deep green eyes as she took a sip of her tea.
[Jarod Nightingale] Whether or not he actually believed that Cultists lacked a sense of personal moderation (or even if he thought that they ought to) was left intentionally unclear, since the question had been posited as a means of opening up further information about Lara herself. He was curious, naturally. But Lara phrased her response in vague insinuations rather than giving a direct answer, and this seemed to suggest that they'd touched upon a private matter - possibly something of importance, at least for her. She mentioned the difficulties of getting involved, and assumed (perhaps rightly) that Jarod was the sort of person who might have found that kind of obligation difficult. He neither confirmed or denied that assumption.
He did, however, laugh gently when Lara mentioned that she'd have to keep him in the dark as to the details of her particular arrangement. "Is it a secret then? How very scandalous." (Of course, the manner in which he said scandalous sounded faintly sarcastic.) "That's rather a shame, though... about not being able to bring me in. Especially if you want to."
Jarod had his own particular brand of darkly sensual cockiness, and he exhibited this now when he looked at her, blue eyes hypnotic and velveteen. They promised things, those eyes. They said: I can make you feel like you're drowning, in the best possible way. His lips promised things too, especially when he slid his tongue lightly across them to collect the wetness left there by his tea.
"But... like you said. You're on good behavior."
[Lara Wrathburn] [Don't do it, you can handle this on your own.]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8 (Success x 5 at target 6)
[Lara Wrathburn] "Its not secret per say, but it is rather...sensitive. If the wrong people start poking around in it, all my efforts could be undone, and given how much time I've put into this I'd really rather not have someone else mess it up." She took another sip of her tea then, her features lighting up as she enjoyed the flavor and the aroma of the mixture a deep breath taken as her eyes closed.
But her eyes opened just at the right moment to gaze into those deep blue eyes as they spoke their hidden message. Her own eyes read that message, soaked it up and saved it. She seemed to light up at such hidden meanings and that impish smile returned as she leaned close, entering into his personal space to speak quietly. "MMmmm I like that look." She said as her own eyes swam through his, the smell of vanilla, her chosen perfume wafting into his senses. "It's a feeling, that what I'm into would be right up your alley...but still...a girl has to have her secrets now doesn't she?" She said almost breathily as she seemed to sink into those eyes, willing to drown, before that impish grin curved her lips and she slowly backed up her own eyes dancing.
She doesn't comment on being on good behavior again, either chosing not to, or perhaps simply not caring to reiterate the statement, that of course was his to decide.
[Jarod Nightingale] When Lara had sat down at his table tonight, Jarod's interest in her had been casual. No different from how he might react to any particularly attractive woman who happened to snag his attention for a few moments. It was debatable whether his opinion of her now had changed much, but she had dangled something in front of him that had caused his attention to become more focused and intense. He wasn't just chatting with a pretty acquaintance over tea any more. He was engaged in a game that he knew extremely well.
Lara leaned in closer, and the scent of vanilla momentarily overpowered the more delicate fragrance of his tea. She practically purred, all sultry sex appeal, and his response was to smile seductively and reach out to run the edge of his thumb lightly along her lower lip. The nerve endings there were sensitive, and they connected back to interesting places. She moved away, though, falling back into her seat, and tempted him with talk of secrets that she believed he might be interested in.
"Oh you think so, hmm?" There was amusement at this, and he canted his head curiously. "Why don't you try me and find out?"
[Lara Wrathburn] "Mmmmm try you?" She said with a light giggle as she looked him over for a long pleasurable moment, her eyes trailing over the form of his clothing, it was a look that said she might very well be undressing him with her eyes. "My dear Jarod." She said slowly almost painfully as she continued to smile. "If I tried you...you would never be the same again." A hand gestured in the air as if to affirm that matter, but it was more then that, the resonance within her said much the same thing, she would mesmerize and bespell you, put you under her sway so far...that once you realized what was happening, you would already be someone new, something different then what you started as.
But she still seemed to be considering him, her head canted to the side as she ran her tongue over her lower lip, over the very place he had intended to caress as if savoring what might have been, her eyes upon his full of intent. "I'm sure a man like you has tried his share of mood enhancers?" She asks as she reaches into the pocket of her coat and pulled something from it. She slowly leaned forward then, that teasing impish smile upon delicious features as she closed the gap once more and breathed her words.
"Have you ever tasted the love and power of E?" She asks as her eyes look up into his, but this time daring him to come and play in her garden, to taste the fruits within, and to never be the same.
[Jarod Nightingale] [The Cultist is offering me ecstasy. I should be wary of this. Prime scan. (-1 for focus)]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 6, 7, 8 (Success x 3 at target 3)
[Jarod Nightingale] There was a moment there, just after Lara informed him that being with her would turn into a life-altering experience, where the expression on Jarod's face shifted to something akin to barely-repressed amusement. This could be attributed to a certain level of friendly competition between them. After all, they were both beautiful, seductive, powerful people who were used to commanding attention. Still, the act of changing another human being in any permanent way was not a simple undertaking. Especially not when one was dealing with an Awakened Disciple, whose Will was strong and stubborn enough to alter the very fabric of existence.
There had been life altering experiences in Jarod's past. Some of them had even involved sex. This... was not going to be one of them. (Though Lara was more than likely an extremely enjoyable distraction, at the very least.)
But then the Cultist mentioned mood enhancers, and this... was to be expected, really, but was nonetheless fairly disappointing. Perhaps he'd imagined a less garden-variety form of exploration and sensuality. In either case, he wasn't a particularly trusting person, so his inspection of the ecstasy went deeper than mere visual cues. He looked at what she was offering to him, focused on it for a moment... and laughed. It was a fairly deep laugh, too... as if he found the whole notion rather absurd.
"Not since I was in high school. I don't need a pill to make myself feel ecstasy. I'm surprised you haven't figured that out."
[Lara Wrathburn] Lara grinned as well, but it was a grin like Jarod had missed a step, had missed something very, very important. "Good for you Jarod you understand some...but do you grasp it all?" She asks raising a curious brow. "I didn't show you this as some childish offer for a fling, this does far more then E ever will or ever could, under normal circumstances."
She too seemed disappointed in the man opposite her, as if that missed step or missed connection had soured their own connection somehow. "But you've already made your assumptions haven't you?" She asked as that mischievous grin returned as she canted her head, and what was in her hand returned to the coat pocket, safe and sound.
[Jarod Nightingale] Oh, he'd assumed from the moment that he'd sensed the magical imprint on these drugs that they were liable to be much more powerful and interesting than any form of E that he could buy on the street. But when you had the kind of mastery that he did over his own Life pattern, drugs were simply superfluous - even supernatural ones. He could cause himself to feel drunk - or to sober up. He could play with the receptors of pleasure and pain, igniting sensations and then turning them off again. He could flood his nerves with sensory input, and when combined with Mind, could even give himself hallucinations. If he wanted to. That didn't mean that he didn't drink, or occasionally make use of some kind of mood-altering plant-life, but those things were merely props for social recreation.
And let's not forget, after all... that he was a Verbena. And for all that he hardly ever seemed to actually behave like one (or dress like one, or live like one), in this sense, the descriptor was accurate. His body was his most prized tool - and he took very, very good care of it.
Lara said that he'd already made his assumptions, and his reaction to this was fairly matter-of-fact. "No more than you have."
But something had changed in him. His interest, once sultry and alive, had settled back into dormant slumber. She'd turned him off, somehow. So he finished the last dregs of his tea and pulled his coat off the back of the chair, sliding his arms into the sleeves. "Perhaps you should go talk to someone a bit less experienced. There's nothing that you can offer me that I don't already have."
And with that, he smiled - beautifully, but without warmth. Then he pulled his coat closed and offered a brief farewell to the shopkeeper as he made his way outside.
