Give a cat a tiny watering can...

Kalen Holliday
[How awake are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN7 (1, 5, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10) ( success x 4 )

Grace Evans
It's late by the time Grace gets back to the office that might as well be called home. She hums a little (off-key) tune to the door when it bleeps to let her inside. Today, she dressed for the occasion in the proper attire of jeans, sneakers, and a Tesla vs. Edison Mortal Kombat t-shirt.

Because, you know, mad scientist lightning battles are appropriate. Always.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind her, she yells out: "Kalen!"

Kalen Holliday
"Library!"  Kalen calls.

He is peeking over a newspaper at her as she enters, although he goes fold it and set it on the table when he sees how excited she is.

"Sooooooooooooooo...?"



Grace Evans
The trip upstairs doesn't take long. Of course, Grace is skipping steps on her way and all. Soon she appears at the door, all smiles.

"Soooooooo, Bugfuck Elly is amazing. He's totally going to help. He thinks that what happened to Alicia's dad was some gigantic Paradox hit, and Alethea was there, so she'd have what he called 'Paradox particles' all over her.

And he's got a machine to detect them. He just needs a little time to get it working. We're going to find her. You should have seen Alicia; I've never seen her, you know, smiling?"

Grace pops over to her usual chair and kicks off her shoes. It's relax time.

Kalen Holliday
Kalen sighs.  "I still think you should have let it go.  There is almost no chance we can help her father.  Chasing all these things...I don't think it will help anything.  Not Alicia.  Not her father.  Not anyone involved."

Grace Evans
"We may not be able to help her father, but we might be able to help Alethea. As far as I know, they haven't caught her yet. And what do we do if someone gets on their radar, just abandon them? I think Alicia knows her father is gone by now. But he's not the only person involved in this."

Grace's unrestrained happy gets taken down a few notches at Kalen's admonishment. She curls her feet up and stops bouncing.

"Besides, I think by now this is Society of Ether business more than anything. They're their people."

Kalen Holliday
"And you're what, on science courtesy loan?"  Kalen rolls his eyes.  "Just be careful."

Grace Evans
Grace rolls her eyes right back.

"I'm always careful. You know that. I don't plan on taking on the Technocracy, I agree that would be suicidal."

Kalen Holliday
"Yeah.  So.  It went well then?"

Grace Evans
Again, the grin returns to Grace's face, because:

"Oh, Kalen, the lab! We met him at this place on East Colfax which looked sketch as hell, but inside. It was full of toys. Ceiling to floor in some places. They had proton packs and miniature jet engines and all kinds of stuff. Some of it was just really old, and some of it was really slick too. I just... It was cool.

"And Elly, he's so nice. He's a Utopian, and the way he talks about building a better world -- I think you'd like him."

Kalen Holliday
"I'd be lying if I said a mad science lab didn't interest me.  But.  East Colfax?  And we've never heard from or of him?  How long has he been in town?"

Grace Evans
"It wasn't his lab. It was one he said they used for meetings way back in the day, and it was pretty way back. Looked like the place hadn't been touched since the 90's. I don't know, maybe East Colfax wasn't so shitty back then?"

Grace shrugs. She knows what Kalen's on about -- why he asks the questions he does. And he has a point. Who knows who Elly really is?

Just, how could someone like that be anything but?

"He's been here for... since today. Kalen, he brought wine. Wine that'd had it's atoms split and put back together."

Kalen Holliday
"Well.  I'm definitely sorry I missed that."  Up arches one eyebrow.  "Is there more?  I can try not to act like a feral cat long enough to taste this fantastic wine."  Pause.  "Maybe."

Grace Evans
"I think there is some? Maybe?" Grace grins. "He has to fill up a quint battery in order to power the machine he found, and it needs repairs, so he'll be here a few days at least. You should totally meet him!"

It certainly seems as if Grace has found a new favorite person in the world, hasn't it? Like maybe there's a reason why their respective Traditions abandoned the same ship together?

"And what do you mean, act like a feral cat? You mean you're not actually a feral cat who Awakened and goes around looking like a guy all the time?"

Kalen Holliday
Kalen huffs.  "That's like...super secret.  Who told you?"

Grace Evans
"You did. In your sleep. You meow," Grace says, in fake victory pose. "And I speak cat."

Speaking of cats, now that there are two people in the library, it is about to become a cat magnet. They like to be where the warm squishy things are. Pomegranate starts the process by padding in and staring at Kalen with half-lidded eyes.

"Pomegranate says hi, obviously."

Kalen Holliday
"Pomegranate still thinks I'm hiding Shoshannah somewhere and would like me to return her.  This cat doesn't even like me."  Kalen says.  He reaches out to scratch behind the cat's ears anyway.

"Probably only because cat and mad scientist are so close."

Grace Evans
"Are they? I should tell Elly he is akin to a cat," Grace says. "Also, I must have just mistranslated 'I want to draw your blood with my claws' as 'hi'. Those phrases are really close together in cat."

Grace yawns, and Pomegranate leaps up on the table, only to use it as a springboard to Grace's lap. Kalen is ignored after having been glared at.

"Shoshannah. I haven't seen her in forever. Didn't she move?"

Kalen Holliday
"I don't know what her deal is.  I haven't seen her in ages."  Kalen shrugs.  "I don't think she's entirely forgiven me.  Or, you know, her cat."

Grace Evans
Grace pets the cat in her lap -- a scritch under the chin which makes the purr reverberate. "I'm sorry, Pompom. I don't know where Shoshannah is."

There there, cat. Much like everyone else, we're all looking for something. Or someone.

"Maybe someday her cat will forgive you."

Kalen Holliday
"This is possible, I suppose.  I'm glad she has someone here to not hate now.  I think she was terrified she was going to have to call a truce just so she could get enough attention to live."

Grace Evans
"So that's why this one likes to hang with me all the time? Huh. Needs attention to live," she says, and gives Kalen a far-away look.

Yeah, he is like a cat, isn't he?

"Plants need attention to live too, unfortunately. Poor Chloe."

Kalen Holliday
"You killed another one?"  Kalen sighs and rolls his eyes.  "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  If you can't remember you need to eat I suppose I shouldn't expect you can keep a plant alive.  Can't you make a computer program to water it?  Get your mad scientist friend to make some clockwork and springs contraption?"

Grace Evans
"I remember to eat. Just it's difficult when you're in a coma and dreaming about riding dragons," Grace says, giving him a subtle chiding. She's not that absent-minded. And noodles and energy drinks totally count as food. Right?

"I can make a robot to water it, I just don't know if water and robots work well together. They do make these bulb... things," Grace says, and stops scritching the cat to hold her hands in the shape of a sphere.

Pomegranate, however, needs attention to live, and grabs her hand and bites it. "Hey!"

Kalen Holliday
Kalen laughs.  "Maybe you can trim the next one into the shape of a kitten, teach Pomegranate to love it, and then teach her to carry a tiny watering can around with her.  There are lever taps on your sink.  I think she could be taught to use it.

"I think motivating her to do it would be nearly impossible.  And that she's more likely to water your electronics for spite than your plant.  But you could always try."

Grace Evans
Grace snort-laughs. See, this is why she loves Kalen. The idea of a cat with a tiny watering can taking care of its plant-kitten? Yes.

"I think teaching her to use the sink would just result in the sink being left on for hours because she wants a drink," she says, and resumes paying the requisite attention to the cat.

They know how to train Mages. If they had any goals beyond food, water, and neck scritches, the world would be in trouble.

"And yes, my electronics would be in big trouble. Wouldn't they, Pompom?"

Pomegranate just purrs.

Kalen Holliday
"We should get you aquatic plants and fish in a self-sustaining system.  Plants that take care of themselves and feed your fish are the best plants."

Grace Evans
"There's all kinds of things we should do. Trouble is keeping track of it all," Grace says, and sighs.

Still, this is the best night she's had in a while, no? her head falls to the back of the chair, a little smile on her face. Her lap is warm like there's a laptop upon it. Alicia has smiled today and meant it.

And here's Kalen, coming up with a sustainable plant-and-fish system.

All may not be right with the world, far from it. But in here? Maybe they can keep the unrightness away. For a little while.