A New Pair of Party-Style Hacks

[Edward Heinrich]

A Shadow advocating for transparency! Perhaps next a Lord will advocate for equality?

Edward took out his own laptop, a nondescript black rectangle as he laughed lightly, "indeed, Quinn, the apple seems to have fallen far from the tree. It would appear we are alike in that regard."

He nodded, "let us render tonight an exception." If Edward interrogated his inner feelings, he'd know he didn't believe in transparency. But he didn't introspect, instead, he selected a default socially acceptable response.

Edward had asked for a history, and got a resume instead — disappointing and understandable. After all, if the question were turned back at him, his story would be similarly sparse.

Notably absence on the resume was work experience, which was a relief as far as feeling out the competition went. Otherwise, she was a fairly classic case of a new hire.

"Thank you, Quinn. Given your background, I believe we may start directly. As you know, Core Wars is a game where two programs, dubbed 'Warriors,' attempt to destroy one another. We will begin with the simplest warrior: the Imp. The classical Imp is a single..."

After a few minutes, a waiter came, and Edward ordered a burrito and a coffee. When they left, he resumed.

Edward was nothing special as a teacher, his explanations were dry and to the point. But he was patient, and attended carefully to Quinn's expression, halting when he saw traces of confusion. The traces of courtliness disappeared, replaced by an undercurrent of professionalism. Edward went over imps, and then how to beat them using a Stone warrior. The pMARS emulator sprang to life. The Imp rapidly filling memory only to have its process killed off by a data bomb.
"... to beat Stone we will use Paper, which brings us to the SPL instruction and three more methods of indirect addressing..."
"... as you guessed, the next and final strategy of this introduction is Scissors. A Scissor employe's a scanning technique achieved via..."

When he finished, some 30 minutes after he first uttered the word 'Imp,' the food was already cooling. Edward took a sip from the coffee. A break was in order, "Enough of that for now. The sound of my own voice begins to grate on me. How these last few months have treated you?"

Edward placed a napkin on his lap and took a careful bite of the burrito, chewing slowly and listening to Quinn.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn chuckled warmly with Edward nodding a bit, and noting the incredulity in his tone. It was light, but the Shadow missed little. Truth be told she was certain his idea of transparency and hers were different, but she was a Mehket. I mean.... isn't a certain level of sneakiness expected?

"Stereotypes are silly things, Edward, but within our corporation some of those rumors have merit. Just because it isn't obvious how someone fits those rumors, doesn't necessarily mean they aren't true." She spoke softly, but wisely.

When the waiter came Quinn ordered some Rosemary French Fries and a Poison Apple Cocktail. Listening to everything he had to say about how the Warriors worked. They worked together, sharing a screen for awhile. He explained and she listened, occasionally prompting him with questions, and earnestly listening to his answers.

Quinn lifted her drink in front of her, the Poson Apple in a oversized martini glass. It was like two drinks in one. Quinn took a sip, and smiled slightly. Thinking over how to answer that. How had the last three months been? "A whirlwind really. After Horatio quit it left a vacancy to head my workgroup, and I ended up taking up that vacancy." She said softly. Letting Edward know that he was sitting across from the new Mehket Priscus.

"I ran into someone from my past, but as fate would have it they decided against staying in Sacramento. A shame really, he was excellent company from what I remember." She shrugged one shoulder gently, popping a french fry in her mouth She chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes, and nodded to Edward.

"What about you? How are things in the most populous department?" She asked delicately, and careful not to let slip anything that sounded strange. Just to work collegues seeing each other on their off hours.

[Edward Heinrich]

"Well said." Edward agreed. In his own way, he was clearly Daeva. It didn't come as a surprise that Quinn was, in some way yet unseen, clearly Mekhet.

Edward nodded, "congratulations," presuming she referenced her new position as Priscus. She might have meant she now led the Dragons, but somehow he doubted it. Although, Horatio did lead them for a time. To Edward, that was way weirder than if Quinn was in charge.

He listened but did not reply to her comment on the figure of her past. Her next question provoked a thin smile.
"It was decided by the department head that I had a conflict of interest, and therefore would continue my work without the department's support."

"As such, my considerations turn to the question of new goals. Lacking the support of the department comes hand in hand with not needing to work to support the department. My plans for the future were necessarily reconfigured, I admit, Quinn, this played a not so small a part in my delay of following up with you."

Edward moved his half-eaten burger aside.
"In the interest of the transparency you requested, I shall tip my hand. Prior to your arrival, the department enjoyed a monopoly on the skillset you, Jennifer, and I possess. In the interest of the department, I wished to investigate your aptitude."

Edward clasped his hands before him on the table, watching how she would respond.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn chuckled a little bit."I guess? M, didn't want anything to do with it. I share her sentiments for the most part, but at the same time, there is always an obligation to family." She shrugged one shoulder like, 'what else was I supposed to do?' No, Quinn wasn't the type to leave her clan open to being taken advantage of.

She took in his admitting that he was no longer a part of the Invictus. She raised both eyebrows once before letting them fall, using the plump cherries skewered on a toothpick to swirl around the cold liquid in the sweating glass. She lifted the drink to her lips to hide the frown.

"I can't exactly say I am 'glad' that was the reason and not some personal issue of some sort, or just being busy in general. You seemed so settled in your department. Forgive me for being forward but I think I am about to prove my previous point," She paused with a slight smirk. Nosey. All Mehket were nosey fucks, and Edward unwittenly just tickled her feelers. Like a shark smelling blood in the water. Wasn't Edward lucky? He was sitting across from the Great White of 'All your bidness belongs to me.' "What could have caused you to have to leave your department?" It was in that moment she decided to use Auspex. She couldn't have asked for a better set up for it. Talking one on one, alone, outside of court. She put in the leading question to make him think of the answer, whether or not he said it out loud. The iron was hot as they say.

Quinn nodded a bit at the last. Not seeming bothered by it in the slightest. "The goals of my department and yours are completely different 90% of the time. It's a big city, there is plenty of that to go around. You know my education, but not my experiences and what I have worked on, and I guess now it really doesn't matter as your former department is no longer your concern. Unless as you say, you are still working for the department and just consider yourself freelance?" She said wtih a slight smile. She knew that game too, but in the interest of throwing a dog a bone, she could easily be convinced to play ball a bit. "I suppose I could give you the more important piece of the information you seek if that is the case. I don't envy your position that you are in."

Would Quinn normally be so forthcoming? No. Then again one does have an attack of conscience while basically stripping someone of their mental defense.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-02-10 10:19:02	Quinn Durant rolls 9 to Telepathy: Dice Pool: Intelligence + Socialize + Auspex (10 Again)	9, 1, 4, 4, 9, 6, 5, 9, 4	3 successes

This level of Auspex is house ruled as a Contested Action: Please roll Resolve + Composure + Blood Potency.

[Edward Heinrich]

Edward shared Quinn's feelings about her new title. The addition of responsibility didn't seem to match the lacklustre addition of prestige.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-02-11 12:53:56	Edward Heinrich rolls 7 to Contested Resistance (10 Again)	9, 6, 7, 6, 3, 2, 2	1 success

At first feel, Edward's mind was an insipid place. Like the handrail of a popular hike, smoothed and shined by countless palms. Worn, but not worn down.

A memory of acrid grief: an unfamiliar man with a monstrous beast, his face lined heavy with disappointment. The feeling of falling, down, down down... "should you not be present, never be present again."

A memory of self-loathing: Edward in a small car, riddled with signs of age. Eyes listlessly wandering the dark parking lot; a phone pressed to his ear, a nondescript Californian accident coming through: "...sure, never left. Why? You in Sacramento?"
"Maybe soon, Abe. The politics here are getting to me."
Laughter, "Teddy! Tell me something new, yeah?"
Falling, falling, Edward didn’t laugh with him "Trying to find a new place."
Quiet on the other end, quiet matching Edward's own. "That bad, huh?" Abe didn't mean the politics.

A memory of bitter despair: Edward on a stage. Twist, Alessandra, and Jacque before him, each wearing a different coloured sash, his eyes on Twist. The pit of his stomach: down, down, down...
"As written, I will not sign the Oath the Lady Notary prepared." Edward wanted badly to offer to explain, but that wouldn't do. It was not proper to volunteer public analysis of one's motives.

Edward's composure grew brittle as it sunk in what this was all leading to. He forced words past the lump in his throat: "should your offer no longer be extended to me, Duchess Judex, I shall take my permanent leave without further fuss." He bowed and awaited the verdict. But Jennifer, beside him, spoke. Her words rolling over Edward, one line sticking in his mind: "...no crime in swearing a new Oath. Oaths are a part of our Covenant. They are the skeleton. It ensures that you are not serving two masters, Mr. Heinrich..."

A flash of the unfamiliar man.

Twist lifted a hand toward Jennifer Hazelton, a universal command for her to hold, but her focus was all on Edward. There was no teasing softness in her form now, no hint of the seductive side of her blood, no sparkle in her eye.
"No." The simple word came out clearly, able to be heard by all in the room.
Standing from her seat, "No. It is too late for that Edward Heinrich. If you have any lineage worth claiming you have sullied it by your actions tonight and it is not worth the honor I initially offered.".
The words were clear and crisp but her tone was anything but cool. It was colored, colored with the red of anger.
"My patience with this game is over. You have made your decision." A small shifting of stance, a turn of ankle and Twist's body opened to the door.

"Leave."

As Edward knew they would, the words came, but seeing the blow fall did not stop the impact. Rising as if struck by the concise dismissal, Edward rolled up the oath penned in his own blood with quick graceless hands while the word 'leave' burrowed itself into him. He departed without harmony: his eyes glassy, his arms heavy. Walking like a man who had not stood on his own feet in decades. The sash was removed by trembling fingers and deposited with care upon the table. He smoothed a wrinkle before turning to the door. The door opened with a jerk, the momentum almost sending Edward tipping forward — he braced with a sudden step — and then left for good.

The present returned, Edward facing Quinn with a strained smile. "You ask the natural question, it would be hardly fair of me to pin that upon your blood. But, given our locale, you will have to forgive me for my silence."
Edward shook his head, "I wash my hands clean on the matter. Their business is no longer my business."

"As for the information I seek," Edward smiled warmly, "I confess to being somewhat old fashioned. If you wouldn't mind, I'd find it a good deal more fun to have you show me." He gestures towards their laptops off to the side.

A note on credit

The quote "no crime...Mr. Heinrich" was written by Seryna.
The section beginning with "Twist lifted" and ending with "Leave." was written by deltadream.
Both are from the scene "Ballo Della Nottte: Oath Swearing"

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn processed the vision's from his mind. So vivid and yet the poignant despair put it in dulled black and white. The way Edward had looked at them all standing there in that moment. His own Priscus and Covenant leader, Twist, her rejection marking the end of it all. She was surprised to find herself moved to empathy. She remembered what it was like herself. Though she was on the other side of the coin. All it would take is Abel snapping his fingers, and Janos and David would drag her back and force her to see 'sense.' Hell Bettina was quite the terrifying Ventrue in her own right. Pallas, the Coterie's Daeva could lead you around like a puppy, and never did either of the twin beauties have to actually dirty their hands or do something so uncouth as to actually get physical. Kine were easier, but a young Kindred such as herself? She didn't stand a chance. It was slightly comforting to know Quinn wasn't the only one with baggage weighting ya down.

Quinn licked her lips slightly. "Why not?" She teased slightly with a laugh. "I blame it all the time." Referencing the comment about her blood. She paused a second. "When we first met I told you I was psychic. Do you remember that? You scoffed, but you really shouldn't have. I can sense your feelings on the matter. Taste the bitterness of defeat on my tongue. Grief, self loathing, despair. You have really gone through it haven't you." She seemed to shake herself a second, but it was a statement not a question. "I know they say the worst vice is advice, but if I could be so terribly nosey to say, that no matter our crosses to bear, you must find a way through all of it. Some years we live and others we merely endure." She paused a second and sighed.

"I survived much before coming here. Things that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Some things were forced on me, but others were entirely of my own making. Some things I just can't let go of, and others I haven't found a way to untangle myself yet. The only way out is through. One door closes, but others will open. Ah, but enough of that!" She waived a hand as if clearing the air. "Let's get down to this business of attempting to outwit each other. A battle of digital proportions!" She grinned slightly, and slid her lap top on over.

[Edward Heinrich]

"If you please." Edward smiled; he blamed — and understood blaming — family blood from time to time.

Edward's eyes narrowed, his lips a thin line. He waited until she finished. When she finished he remained in silence, just for a moment, allowing his thoughts to coalesce.

"You openly admit to violating the core of my being?" Incredulity and scorn soaked through his words and face, "and then offer me encouragement?"

Edward chuckled, gaining momentum, and then openly laughed.

"My oh my, you are a queer one, Quinn. It is refreshing. But please, never do that again. Should you without consent, I shall feel obliged to defend my dignity, you understand." The threat behind Edward's eyes undercut the gentle smile on his lips. He had seen, and would declare, Monomancy for less.

Edward made no move for his own laptop. He wanted to hear she understood.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn was puzzled honestly. Violate the core of his being huh? What a sheltered boy, Edward was. She focused on the Kindred in front of her.

"Wow. If you think reading emotions is a violation, I am extremely envious of you." Just like in court, this one was looking for a reason to be outraged. "If trying to understand your emotions on something so heavy as leaving your work group, when we are robbed of a more frank conversation due to locale, is a violation to you?" She nodded once. She called him on it.

"Very well Mr. Heinrich. I understand. Perfectly." She immediately reached for her wallet, and pulled out enough cash to pay for their bill and leave a generous tip to the waiter.

[Edward Heinrich]

As the flash of anger faded and Quinn's words sank in, Edward inwardly cringed. He figured he had, what? Half a minute? Before Quinn left. So he took a beat to consider. Why was Quinn here in the first place? It would be careless to ascribe his old department's motivations to her; she wasn't a part of it. He had to fall back on facts. She had probably used a power of the blood on him. Edward didn't know of any that could read a person, but given his knowledge, that wasn't saying much.

'If you think reading emotions is a violation' was the meat of the matter. To Edward, it was simple, if you learned about someone's past by talking to them and carefully observing their reactions, that was fine. If you learned about someone's history by picking the lock on their door and reading their diary? Violation. Edward spent another few precious seconds, as Quinn took money from her wallet, to consider why she would both use her power and then reveal it. Maybe this was the whole purpose; perhaps she was testing if he was the kind of spineless cretin to just take... take what exactly? What had she even done? He didn't know the first thing about the situation. At a mental dead-end, he pivoted.

His reaction was, to him, also wrong. The correct response to having a burglar say 'I read your diary' was not 'if you break in again, I'll kill you,' it was 'don't do that again.' Anger had him skipping steps. Naturally, it was difficult to admit fault when both parties had done something wrong, especially when one side seemed not to realize what they had done wrong. But, Edward was far more concerned with his own missteps than anyone else's.

"Please forgive my outburst; I rescind and regret my implication. Let me offer a trivial for the insult." He bowed as much as sitting in a booth allowed.

"As it appears that it is I who does not understand perfectly." He mirrored her wording without a hint of malice, "if you are gracious enough to forgive me, perhaps we should continue our conversation where we can speak freely?"

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn paused and sat back a second. It was like trying to explain color to a blind person. She could never actually hurt someone with Auspex by simply reading them. It took a lot of other things and usually either high Obfuscate or other Kindred using their powers in combination to actually harm. It sure cut corners though.
She looked at it as she was skipping a few chapters to see if there was any substance there worth spending time on.

Then she tried to see if from Edward's point of view. What if he has no idea what that means, though? "Reading emotion," was pretty vague after all. Mental powers are frightening, like say the Ventrue as an example. Maybe he thinks you can be THAT creepy with it. Horatio wanted power almost to the exclusion of anything else, what was he supposed to think her motives are if that's been his only example?

Have I become so jaded I actually buy the Mehket party line? Besides even that, just because you don't mean harm, doesn't mean that others won't assume you do. Better safe than sorry, is a real thing. Edward just got kicked in the balls, and then you read him and even admit it, he has every right to feel freaked out. Even if you didn't steal anything, you still cracked the safe. Opened it. Saw what was inside and then referenced it.

"Well, if I hadn't have skipped through multiple chapters to the middle of the story, and put you on edge, I would offer use of a nifty psychic trick I know to communicate by thought. I'm so used to such things it hasn't really occured to me how frightening that might be to others. I do need your permission for it though. I can't promise it won't be a little...strange. In absence of that I know a lovely Hotel with one some great city views that guarantees privacy."