Bringing Order (attn: Four)

[Joshua Morris]

It had taken years but Joshua thought he might have finally found a Sacramento restaurant to his liking: the River City Saloon worked hard to put out an Old West vibe that was right up the Arrow's alley. During the day at least; he'd come here for dinner once and found, to his horror, that Friday nights were karaoke nights. He'd gotten his food to go and eaten out in the car.

But this was different: a lunchtime meeting, no pressure, the karaoke screens nowhere to be seen. No one was dressed as a prospector today--better luck next time, perhaps--but with the rough-hewn walls and crunch of peanut shells beneath his shoes, Joshua could close his eyes and almost believe he was out on the frontier. Except for the music playing overhead. And the omnipresent cell phones, including the one in his own pocket. Other than that, though...

He sipped his sarsparilla and waited for Four to arrive.

[RebornSeas]

Four entered the restaurant, looking around until he spotted his councillor, then joining the other man at the table. "Afternoon, sir. You wanted to talk?"

The giant EMT wasn't sure about the specifics of why Joshua Morris wanted to talk to him, but he had some of his own vague questions to ask, and it was a good opportunity to learn more about his Councillor.

[Joshua Morris]

Joshua nods. "Thank you for coming. I've got the tab today, so, please. Order anything you like." He pauses for a moment, looking over his own menu. "Thank you for coming," he repeats. "I wanted to talk to you a bit about..." He tries to think of a better phrase; nothing comes, and he says, "About what you want to do, here. In the city."

[RebornSeas]

Surprise briefly flitted over the giant's face, he had expected a slightly different line of questioning, but then, between the public location and the social bluntness required to start things off on that foot, it shouldn't have been quite so strong a surprise. He was getting a free lunch out of this, though, so even if it did circle around to that point, he'd still be honest as possible. "Thanks for the meal, it's a relief not to put up with my own food."

His eyes flick across the menu, and land on the Doc Holiday and John Sutter subs. Both looked delicious, so he'd decide between those when it was time to order. "As for what I want to do... I'm still a bit new to the options available to me, but I know that I want to try and improve lives, in whatever ways I can, be that protecting, healing, giving, or teaching. I'm still working out the specifics, I'll admit."

[Joshua Morris]

Joshua nods as he listens. He drums his fingers on the table for a moment. "I suppose I ought to back up, actually," he says. "How long ago did you Awaken?" His voice is pitched low so as not to carry far, but there's no obvious spellcraft up today. He must figure the ambient noise is enough to keep their conversation safe from prying ears. "It sounds like it was fairly recent."

No sooner is the question asked than a young vested man steps up to the table, rubbing his hands together, a smile on his face. "Gentlemen, good afternoon! My name is Quinn and I'll be your server today. What can I get for you?"

"Buck Shot Bird, hold the mayo, light on the sauce, please. And another sarsparilla," Joshua says. He slumps a bit in his chair and looks around the saloon, waiting for Quinn to finish up the order and go. Waitstaff always had the worst timing.

[RebornSeas]

"A Jon Sutter and um, just water, please." Four smiled at her nicely, mentally trying to figure out how the hell to answer Morris's question without setting off alarms. He waited until Quinn was gone, then started thoughtfully, in a soft and careful voice.

"Longer ago than I made it sound, I'll admit. Last April. I was planning on moving, and did, by July, and no one bothered to teach me how to get in contact with people here, so for a few months I was a lot more disconnected than I'd like." the Giant frowns in genuine regret before sighing and continuing. "So I don't exactly have as much experience as it would seem from the time alone." That sounded more like making excuses than a genuine reason, and it may just raise more concerns. Four hoped that any concerns raised could be talked down.

[Joshua Morris]

If Morris is at all concerned, he doesn't show it. He nods at the response. "Moving always does seem to make things take longer than they ought to, doesn't it?" he says. He pauses for a moment before asking, "So, what do you think of it? Have you had trouble... adjusting?"

[RebornSeas]

"Yeah, I guess it does." He visibly relaxes, sinking into his seat a bit more and generally holding himself looser. "I got used to my abilities pretty quick, and found that I really liked some of the things I could do, but I had some difficulties with the way I was being pressured to make certain choices before I moved. I mean, would you make a blind choice, knowing that it could bind you to a group of people you've never met but would then be expected to try and get along and work with no matter how little you got along? I couldn't make a choice like that in three months under that kind of pressure."

Four's clearly made that argument many times in the months leading up to his move. He's still somewhat bitter that it was brushed off so often, though the bitterness has definitely lessened over time.

[Joshua Morris]

Joshua shrugs. "You at least get to make the choice, though. Even the opportunity to not choose is better than being forced to pick one. I mean, I see your point--I honestly do--but, do you think any of these people," he says, waving a hand around the saloon, "got to pick their co-workers, or get along with them? I doubt you get along with your Sleeper co-workers all the time.

"But I'm not here to make you make a choice," he says hurriedly, perhaps expecting the giant to get defensive. "I do believe, honestly, that you'd be better served in an Order than without. But yes, it is a decision that takes some time to make, and you shouldn't be rushed or pressured into it. I just wanted to talk with you and see if we could figure out what your best options could be."

[RebornSeas]

The giant's mouth twists into a small smile, acknowledging the point Morris just made. He was lucky, to have that chance to choose, and he'd been putting it off and dancing around it for long enough. Four opens his mouth to defend himself, but Morris continues, reassuring that there's no pressure, that this is only a discussion of options, so Four closes his mouth and thinks for several moments.

"I'd like that. I've been putting off any serious consideration of the question for a bit too long, and I could use some help assessing my values and narrowing the options a bit more. I likely won't choose for certain in a month or two - I procrastinate like hell too much for my own good - but I should start thinking about it at least, and maybe getting to know more of the people in the orders I'll be bearing in mind will help that choice." He nods firmly with satisfaction at his conclusion.