(2107)Dirt Nap, JC, and Edward

[Scourge]

“Good evening, Mr. Heinrich. How are you doing tonight?” Once in his attention, JC’s gaze doesn’t wander too much. However, he does notice the Savage has a tendency to tilt his head occasionally. Listening.

Continued from (2107) Formal Court...

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap notices Edward's entrance, and his seeming like he's avoiding any attention or conversation. Until he heads on over to where he and J.C. are standing.


"Evening, Mister Heinrich." Dirt Nap says. He glances to J.C. before saying, "I don't believe you're interrupting nothing we'd be talking about at Court here tonight." He ventures.

J.C. answers him, and Dirt Nap glances around at the others who just said howdy and got an answer from him, and nods like an apology for stepping off for a minute, then he moves a little closer by J.C. and by the way Edward, which is not how he'd have done it, but this isn't his show. Or maybe just a little bit between J.C. and him, it might be.

"Hope you're feeling less poor used about what happened. I understand and respect if you don't." Dirt Nap says sincerely if obliquely to J.C.

[Edward Heinrich]

"I am doing well, thank you Mr. Smith. What of yourself?" The head tilt just went to confirm Edward's impression of the man's nerves. Although Edward would be one to talk, having to conciously repress the instinct to scan for exits.

Dirt Nap gave a strange reassurance clearly laden with a meaning Edward was not privy to. "I see. Forgive me if my question is nonsensical, I may have failed to parse your layered negatives, Mr. Dirt Nap. What would you be speaking of at Court tonight?"

Dirt Nap's additional comment made Edward wonder if he really was interrupting, he would wait to see JC's response and was prepared to excuse himself.

Continued from (2107) Formal Court...

[JC Smith]

While he didn’t immediately move away from Dirt Nap’s approach he replied “Still more than a mite.” Matching Dirt Nap's obliqueness. But he didn’t want to get into that here. Instead he turned to Edward’s cultural misunderstanding.

“I believe you parsed a little too logically instead of linguistically. The second negative in this case doesn’t negate the first. Instead, it’s a way to put emphasis on the point.” He gave a small (somewhat forced) smile.

“You aren’t interrupting,” he followed up with the ‘simplified’ translation to Heinrich’s questions, returning Dirt Nap’s glance to confirm.

“I’m doing well,” he lied “I’ve actually been meaning to get your opinion on something,” he followed with the truth. Though he'd see if Heinrich was willing to talk covenant at a formal court.

[Dirt Nap]

"Beg pardon, Mister Heinrich." Dirt Nap says. "J.C. here has the right of it, what my meaning was, that is."

He looks straight at J.C. for a while. "I don't mean to make myself a liar, possibly not the first time; I offer you a minor boon against my offending you. You don't owe me a thing, not a word of explanation whether you accept or no." He says gravely.

"I'd like to make it right between us, if I can."

Dirt Nap takes in a breath to sigh.

Then he looks over at Edward. "I apologize again, Mister Heinrich. I didn't mean to make it awkard; there is a thing, obvious I suppose, but it's not a thing to discuss in any kind of detail here and now, so I don't count your coming over as an interruption." Dirt Nap explains.

"How are you now, Mister Edward? I think I remember you talking about some goals in the 'computer security world'?" He asks with some interest, obviously unfamiliar with the specific words to use in discussing technology.

[Edward Heinrich]

"I now follow, thank you, Mr. Smith." Edward returned JC's forced smile with Edward's own. It wasn't that he was annoyed; this was simply a tiny fumble to be moved past, and move past he did, waving away Dirt Nap apology, "not at all, Mr. Dirt Nap, I have learned something new without having to suffer for it, and that is precious. As for your question, Mr. Smith, should I be at liberty to answer, I will do my utmost to satisfy your curiosity."

Then there was another tense and, to Edward, senseless exchange. He was thoroughly convinced of interrupting something and was about to excuse himself when he was once again assured that his presence was not an intrusion.

"Please, Mr. Dirt Nap, if you apologize again, I shan't know what to do with myself."

Edward instead of Heinrich was odd, especially as Dirt Nap had just a moment before used Heinrich, but the Mister was there, which was what mattered.

"Scant progress." A resigned smile, "I confess to having had something of a crisis of faith following my exit from the Invictus, and while I have since emerged from that valley, my emergence does not erase the many months spent in idleness." Idleness for him.

And then the hammer dropped, and everyone's attention turned to the Prince. So this was what it was all about. He regarded the Haunt as he put his affairs in order, with cold satisfaction, repressing a sneer at the snivelling Childe. Have you no pride? The Elder did, as he took his punishment with grace. All was as it should be, and order was returned.

Edward knew who would deliver the sentence, and so his eyes went to Twist.

[JC Smith]

JC wished he could have rubbed his temples and groaned. On the one hand, it was kind of sweet that Dirt Nap was trying to give him a boon to make for things. On the other, JC really wanted to slap the cowboy over the head and ask what the fuck he was thinking.

Here? In court? A boon? JC didn’t need a boon, he just needed to talk. Understand and explain. And he wished Dirt Nap got that.

But now he had to think about all this. Now. Would not accepting be seen as insulting by the rest of court? Would Dirt Nap take it as the issue actually being resolved? It should have been just how JC felt but that couldn’t be here in Elysium with ears and eyes everywhere.

“I’ll accept,” he said finally “And spend it to request we spend an evening talking over things openly. I’ll let you know when I’m available.” It was what he’d wanted anyway. This was just emphasized that. And a small political part whispered maybe he could leverage it to learn confidential information on the Dragons to boot. Which got an internal eye roll at the selfish thought. He turned back to Edward.

“It was actually about you joining the ranks of the unaligned that I had a question. I’m trying to learn about covenants, to try and have enough to make an informed decision on which I might join. I wanted to know what advantages you found in not being part of a covenant?”

Though the answer to that might have to wait.

JC had not in fact wondered about tonight’s court’s purpose. He had assumed it was just another formal court. A requirement to bring the Kindred together to observe them. A demonstration of power to make people have to attend. JC had obviously been mistaken.

A Breach by Kowalsic? An accusation against Twist? When had this happened? He was a confused but tried to make it in stride as the Nosferatu came forward. The Gangrel couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man and the childe, having experienced banishment himself in his journey down the coast. However, as punishment for a Breach? That was down right magnanimous. He glanced to Hazelton, wondering if she had used her influence in that regard. JC just hoped that the little voice warning that 'losing his flesh' might mean that the childe was about to die. The beast rustled happily at that thought though.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods and mercifully stops apologizing to Edward as Edward seems to understand now, at least as much as Dirt Nap himself does.

"Thank you, J.C. I will honor the boon as you say." Dirt Nap replies to J.C.
Then Dirt Nap turns and stares unabashedly at the spectacle and revealed purpose of the mandatory Court. He doesn't look surprised so much as simply engrossed in the proceedings.

[Edward Heinrich]

JC's question did have to wait, and it continued to have to wait.

Edward returned Jennifer Hazelton 's gaze, a hint of anger in his eyes. Do not disturb me from witnessing the scale righteously balance.

But as the Archon approached the offender, Edward's gaze returned, and his cold satisfaction turned to quiet rapture as Twist's perfect handiwork unfolded.

[Edward Heinrich]

Edward's eyebrows raised and his mouth parted in a pure expression of shock in reaction to Jennifer's words. He was, for a moment, so totally taken aback as to be beyond anger.

Continued in (2107) Formal Court...