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Yet another Face at the bar.

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  1. #1
    Tiny's Avatar

    Matthew
    Oath's Bastion
    Presence
    (Genial)
    Tiny

    Honor 2
    Wisdom 1

    2
    PRE

    Faces has a few reputations.
    Its drinks are slightly cheaper than expected, but not very tasty. Its bartenders are all drop dead beefcakes. The food is microwaved, badly. No less than a dozen congressmembers have been caught in its bathroom with pants missing. It is, of course, the premier gay bar in town.
    And it's not where Oath's Bastion has texted Chris to meet him. Instead he has asked to meet up across the street at Low Brau, a german bierhall with much more expensive drinks and no microwave in sight.

    He's picked out a nice suit, a lightning bolt pin in the lapel, and had found them a corner booth across from the kitchen. Tiny is many things, and he is always hungry.
    However, he now sits and waits for his date, sipping a water. He looks at the steaming sausages and pretzels leaving the bar, swallowing often to keep from drooling.

    The Crescent moon in the sky provides inspiration for mystery and the uncovering of secrets. Hopefully not too many of his own, but Chris could riposte with surprising skill.
    Elodoth | Storm Lord | Primal Urge 1
    Grapes [/] [] [] [] [] [] [] WP (6/6)

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  3. #2
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Crystal was actually surprised to have a second date with Matthew. Not that he hadn't expected the lawyer to ask him out again, but most men just lost their appeal to the Awakened after a certain point (that point being around an hour or two after the clothes were off).
    To be fair, most men didn't know about what lies beyond 'reality' as people know it and even fewer could hold an conversation worth listening to.

    So yeah - he was possibly about to break his own rule of not getting attached in any way. Go ahead and sue him, he knew a lawyer now.


    His outfit probably didn't look as expensive as it had been, but it was just so damn comfortable. Besides, he felt it toed the line between formal and casual just enough to keep his investment in this date up for interpretation. Arriving just a few minutes late, he took a longing look at the bar across the street before sighing to himself and entering the Low Brau. Maybe some other night.

    The location certainly was.. a choice and the Mastigos was glad that he hadn't been overdressing even more. There was just something about Germans and Beer that lent itself to a certain lack of class. It didn't take long for him to find Matthew and he approached their table with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. "I guess I'm here to learn about the joys of sweet cuisine? Hey." He offered Tiny a hug that may have involved more wandering hands than appropriate for 'just friends' and slid into the booth across from the lawyer.

    "So: what's new, how are you?" Frankly, he didn't have all that much experience in repeated performances, so he'd just have to wing it tonight.
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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  5. #3
    Tiny's Avatar

    Matthew
    Oath's Bastion
    Presence
    (Genial)
    Tiny

    Honor 2
    Wisdom 1

    2
    PRE

    "Hey bud, I really like the blue." Tiny returns the hug fairly aggressively, with a strong grip that promises security, and other things. He looks around instinctly, looking for the judging eyes and suspicious stares, but everyone else seems lost in their own personal dramas or the food. He looks at Chris again, and a part of him relaxes at the sight of the good looking man. "Tonight is an education experience for both of us. Sure i can show you the sweeter side. But I also know that there are plenty of IPAs and other bitter beers here, and perhaps you can convince me that saurkraut is actually tasty. But more important than that is the fact that I get to enjoy delicious food with a pretty man. And i'm a man of simple wants." Tiny's eyes stay piercing on Chris, a hungry glint in his eyes, before he turns to the menu.
    "He'll have a glass of dry rose." He looks at Chris expectantly, seeing what his date orders for him. Sure its cheesy. But Tiny appreciates cheese, puns, and other things of joy.
    Elodoth | Storm Lord | Primal Urge 1
    Grapes [/] [] [] [] [] [] [] WP (6/6)

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  7. #4
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Matthews compliments almost felt as good as his hands. He didn't care if anyone was watching - they were right across a gay bar, for fuck's sake. If anyone had a problem with two guys on a date they'd need to rethink their dinner locations. Maybe that was just his San Francisco way of seeing things, but he had enough things to hide without acting closeted.

    "Oof, I don't know if I have what it takes to appreciate Sauerkraut - let alone teach you - but I'm open for new experiences. Have you been here before?" Crystal eyed Tiny some more. For someone so decidedly excited about eating he kept adorably fit. Thyrsus had a some tricks for things like this. He once again noticed that this place was out in the open, too public for any kind of 'business' talk. Yeah, they left the museum together, but frankly they hadn't done much talking. Noticing Matthew's look the Mastigos wondered if a second helping of that was on the menu later. He smiled and playfully winked at the Werewolf before looking at the actual menu himself.

    "And he'll have a.. 'Helles'." He probably butchered the pronunciation on that, but the staff had to be used to this by now. "It's a Bavarian lager, much smoother and less bitter than other beer. See, I do have delectable taste." While waiting for the drinks Crystal scanned the menu for a dish that caught his eye. Without looking up he made his move to learn a bit more about his date. "Say, how would feel about a friendly Q&A session while we're clearheaded enough? Clear answers as far as we're allowed to tell here and if it's something we don't want to talk about we'll just flat out say it - how does that sound?"

    Once the drinks arrived he took his glass and toasted at Tiny. "To pretty men of simple wants."
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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  9. #5
    Tiny's Avatar

    Matthew
    Oath's Bastion
    Presence
    (Genial)
    Tiny

    Honor 2
    Wisdom 1

    2
    PRE

    Matthew smiles at Chris' wink. That night had been quite a bit of fun, fun that he hadn't had an opportunity to indulge in for a while. These california boys sure knew how to have a good time. "I haven't, but the wall of pig faces just spoke to me. We both wear interesting masks, it seemed appropriate to go somewhere to be celebrating that. And I'm a sucker for good food, which apparently this place has in spades. And I guess we can just agree together that sauerkraut is just not real food and move on to more enjoyable events." Tiny smiles, amused. There was something hysterical about a pig mask on a man mask on a werewolf.

    Tiny picks up the menu, reading the scant description of the Helles, before embracing the spontaneity. "Here Here!" He aggrees, lamenting that first tongue doesn't have a good word for cheers, beyond Rih, which didn't quite capture the concept. The beer is a touch sweeter than he was expecting, without the crush of bitterness of the IPAs. He raises an eyebrow at Chris and nods "An excllent choice. Care to taste it?" He offers the beer back to the gentleman.

    "I'll play, but only 2 passess on personal questions. And, since you are kind enough to follow me to a wall of masks and secrets, and i'll let you have the first question."
    And it would help set the baseline whether he was going to be asking easy questions or if he was going to get in cross-examination mode. Which while fun, would be a different kind of fun. Chris may or may not be a verbal masochist, this would be a good way to find out.
    Elodoth | Storm Lord | Primal Urge 1
    Grapes [/] [] [] [] [] [] [] WP (6/6)

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  11. #6
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    Crystal arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think I wear a mask?" More importantly: what kind of mask was the lawyer showing, what was he hiding? "I have to tell you, I've outgrown my phase of celebrating pig culture, but you do you I guess." It was abundantly clear that Crystal was just teasing. Still he recognized that particular passion of Tiny and filed it under 'important'. You never knew when you'd have to surprise someone with what they loved.

    "Usually I don't mix beer and wine, but considering where this glass has been just now I'll gladly have a taste." Yeah, that might grow old soon, but he couldn't help himself. At least being dumped for the ease at which his mind got derailed in certain directions would give him justification in how he had handled dating so far. "Mmh, that's good. Goes down like water, so be careful." Frankly, he didn't know how well Tiny handled his alcohol. There wasn't a lot of mass to him, but he did like to indulge in the finer drinks from what he'd gathered.

    The Mastigos slightly pursed his lips and considered the questions he wanted to ask. He knew how easily Matthew could talk circles around him, so the phrasing would have to be bullet proof. His first question he shot more or less from the hip anyway. "Okay, assuming that I didn't blow my first question on the mask thing: what's hidden beneath that adorable exterior of yours?" He held up his hands before Tiny had a chance to answer. "Now I know that I might be coming right out of the gate with the most touchy question, so feel free to answer only as well as you are allowed to - but you have to agree that I don't necessarily want to buy the pig in a poke."
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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  13. #7
    Tiny's Avatar

    Matthew
    Oath's Bastion
    Presence
    (Genial)
    Tiny

    Honor 2
    Wisdom 1

    2
    PRE

    Tiny looks at Chris's question about a mask, and gives a bark of laughter. He opens his mouth to say something, but pauses. "An old English addage: Dogs look up to us, cats look down, but only pigs see us as equals." Which always tickled the dualistic Elodoth. If you saw someone as equal, and they saw you the same, were you? And if you weren't, who was to say?

    "I've been cursed with a terribly efficient metabolism. When we get to the food I promise to emberass you with the shear quantity. Which lamentably makes it hard to get me drunk. What about-" he stops himself, not wanting to waste a question.

    "No no, your mask question was introductory, and I didn't answer regardless. But as to your question. hmmm."
    He thinks, it is a remarkably good question. He finds himself appreciating Chris' good banter. "A good question like that deserves a reward." He leans forward and presses his lips against the human's just long enough to tease, but not so long as to be obscene. He looks up at the wall of masks, seeming to find answers in their porcelain faces. He looks back at his date, knowing tha seeing him above the city at the nexus means he might understand the gravity of this. He stares deeply into the man's eyes, "Now, for the reward. There are many things behind the man in the suit. And the second one is the Storm. The inevitability, the implacability and inexorability of an oncoming Storm. The Storm goes forward without hesitance, lunging ever forward. I have goals, and achieve them. I don't show weakness, even as I am hobbled by it. The Storm surges and ebbs, but it does not stop until it has accomplished all it can." People speak of confidence, of poise. They are speaking of Matthew as he discusses the Storm. He speaks with the surety of the ground beneath his feet and the air in his lungs, of the certainty that he will succeed in all that he sets his mind to.

    He turns to the waiter, "We'll take a pretzel, some duck fat fries with bier cheese and hot peppers on the side, and some corn dogs too." He hadn't planned on the corn dogs, but seeing those walk out to another table had set the hungry wolf's mind a whirling in a way that had just one thing to do with his date.

    Turning back to his date, he decides on a middle ground of questions, hard but not sweating it. "So, my question. What do you do that brings you the most satisfaction in your life?" He doesn't hedge or offer 'outs', he wasn't going to give the poor man any rope to hang himself. Not yet anyway.
    Elodoth | Storm Lord | Primal Urge 1
    Grapes [/] [] [] [] [] [] [] WP (6/6)

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  15. #8
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    An arched eyebrow to the non-answer. Maybe that'll be a topic for later. Maybe he'd had to be satisfied with the fact that whatever Matthew saw in him, he seemed to like it.

    For a moment Crystal imagined Tiny to dig into a cartoonishly big feast, like some sort of starved animal - that got a chuckle out of him. "Okay, now you've set some expectations. And wasn't it Wilde who always equated the one kind of hunger with the other kind of appetite? As for the alcohol: you're not missing out on much - being drunk is actually kind of overrated."

    Then came the good part, but it put Crystal in a dilemma: he had tremendously higher motivation to ask good questions now, but it became ever so much harder to focus on the thinking part of this date. He returned the Werewolf's gaze and listened intently. If he didn't know better, this answer could just be an elaborate way of saying "I'm really ambitious, a true go-getter!" - but Crystal came to a similar conclusion as the man sitting across. The lawyer had to be something, more than a mere Sleeper. All this storm-talk made him think of Obrimos-antics, but then he would have seen Matthew at the Circle. Fuck, Crystal didn't even know if there were other flavours of Mages. Maybe he was being literal: maybe he could change into an actual storm.
    The Mage took another sip of his wine, mulling over the answer. "To be fair, I kind of granted you to only say as much as you're allowed to say." How would he phrase being Awakened out in public for everyone close or nosy enough to hear? Yeah, in hindsight he didn't know what he'd expected. "Although the things you describe are incredibly enticing - but we've already been over that and I don't want to bloat your ego too much." Although this brand of confidence was quite rare to find - it had nothing in common with the hot-air-macho-shit of all those wannabe-models you tended to find in gay bars.
    Funnily enough, he didn't regret visiting this side of the street at all anymore.

    While Matthew ordered Crystal looked at the short list of items on the menu. "You're coming here and you're not taking any Wurst?" He couldn't help teasing a bit, even if the waiter was coerced into witnessing their light flirting. Well, maybe this was just a starter for the man who claimed he had an embarrassingly huge appetite. "I'll have the Frankfurter with the pickled jalapenos and the relish. Add a second serving of the duck fat fries and another glass of dry rosι please."

    Good thing he ordered a refill on the wine - while it didn't involve any secret Supernal topics, Matthew's question touched the sore spot in Crystal's life. Fuck, he had been asking himself the same question again and again lately. And then he drowned said question out by indulging in any excess he could get his hands on.
    That was way too dark for a second date though. He could lie, it's not like he hadn't lied about that before. Of course those heaps of bullshit were served to throwaway sex-dates who he never planned on seeing again. He reached for his glass and emptied what was left in it.
    "Yeah, sorry. That'd be my first pass." He wanted to add some lighthearted addition - like how he didn't get any satisfaction out of killing people, if that's what that answer made Tiny think - but then just closed his mouth. He asked the thing that first came to his mind, mostly to keep the conversation moving away from this bummer. "How long has the longest relationship you've been in been, and why did it end?"
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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  17. #9
    Tiny's Avatar

    Matthew
    Oath's Bastion
    Presence
    (Genial)
    Tiny

    Honor 2
    Wisdom 1

    2
    PRE

    "Wilde was known for saying a lot of shit. Playwrights will do that. But I appreciate the reference." Indeed, someone who can throw around the patron saint of intelligent gay men is worth more of Tiny's time than anything. Chris continues to reveal deeper cleverness the more he talks.

    "My ego is plenty bloated by your mere presence at my invitation. I'll have to do something embarrassing to deflate before I float off. As for the Storm, well, one day you'll see it, and you will understand." To stand in the darkness, naked and afraid, and to see the Storm coming, to feel its power press upon you like gravity had doubled, to feel the frost of the Breath on your neck, to hear the Thunder of the howl.
    Tiny gives a little shiver.

    Tiny looks almost affronted by the challenge, "And a bratwurst, biercheese and onions. And I'll keep this menu for second course." He looks at Chris, "You are aware this is a five course meal right?" He says with complete seriousness and concern.
    There is a beat, and then he smiles, "If you can keep up that is." He finishes his beer in two great gulps, "And I'll take another as well." The taste of tingle of alcohol graced his spine for just a moment, before the cruelty of werewolf metabolism took it away.

    Tiny nods at the pass. "No problem." He doesn't follow up with something uplifting or enticing or teasing. He treated the Pass with seriousness, and moved right on to the question.

    "6 months, and we realized that I didn't like her for no good reason. Learned a lot about how to cook fish though, and learned that I don't like women, so overall a plus for me." And now the eternal debate, followup the tough question, dig deeper, or let the bone go. Part of him rebelled at the notion of letting an unturned rock just sit there, but this was why he followed Winter, and not Death.

    "So my question, if you could change one thing of modern culture, what would you correct?"
    Elodoth | Storm Lord | Primal Urge 1
    Grapes [/] [] [] [] [] [] [] WP (6/6)

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  19. #10
    Crystal's Avatar
    Striking Looks
    (Captivating)
    Manipulation
    (Disarming)
    Resources
    Barfly
    Eidetic Memory
    Crystal

    Nimbus

    Walls and the Floor become slightly tilted, there's a sickly sweet and sharp smell in the air. Faintly, the sound chains (and even fainter: the sound of leather) can be heard. More powerful spells make the sounds more pronounced and colors seem to pulsate.
    Active Stats

    Astral Dive II
    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +/-0
    Active Spells: 1/4
    Personal Spells: 1

    [2] Third Eye
    [4R] Misperception

    +1
    SL
    3
    PRE

    "Oh, you seem to be doing plenty of ego-stroking yourself." Crystal was no hopeless romantic. If he were, he would have added something cheesy like 'if we go on like this, we could float together'. Ugh. Instead he looked for Tiny's leg with his foot and touched it lightly, thus totally misinterpreting the shiver.

    The Awakened grinned. Either Matthew had planned on ordering several times already or his pride was actually hurt by the challenge. "Knock yourself out. As of now I'm enjoying myself enough to stay until you're full and satisfied." Frankly, he was also curious whether the small man could really get all of this into him. "But I'm forfeiting any notion of trying to keep up. I know where my strengths lie - I'll just keep you company and since I goaded you into this we'll split the bill." That didn't sound like a suggestion, the Mastigos had already made up his mind about that.

    The respect for Crystal's boundaries was noted and appreciated.
    Tiny's answer made Chris' eyebrows shoot up though. This man was in his - what, 40s, 50s? -, he was a lawyer and approachable. Sure, gay men were really, really superficial, but 6 months was basically nothing. Then again, it's not like he himself got anywhere close to that. Still, should he press the issue? Either Matthew didn't care for long term relationships, life just always got in the way (for 40+ years), or it had to do with his presence at the Nexus. Too scared to get tied up? Too many secrets? Digging deeper could kill two birds with one stone, or at least wound them making them easier to catch. Maybe later, maybe things will get clearer in time.

    Alas, it was his turn to answer. Again with the deep-cutting questions - was Crystal being too basic? He considered his reply for a bit, spending a considerate amount of focus to keep his feet still and not distract himself further. Existential boredom aside, there was plenty of things wrong with society right now - and on top of that, most of the things society was built on were a literal, universal Lie. "You're making all your questions count, huh? If I could change one thing in modern culture it would be the obsession with material possession and the 'conventional standards of beauty'." Yeah, he was aware that this kind of made him sound like a hypocrite, but he simply had the good looks and the money, he didn't strife for those. "People are being real shitheads to each other because of that. I'm not saying we should go full socialism, but some perspective on what actually matters compared to having more stuff than others would be kinda swell." He was a bit surprised how willingly he opened up to Matthew. Enigma would be proud. Maybe. Crystal really didn't discuss his private life with his mentor too much.

    "Your turn: if you could change something in your life right now, what would it be?"
    Health: Willpower: Mana:


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