<> <> <> <> * Threnody is enjoying it, by sitting in a chair and enjoying a buttered scone and peoplewatching, because even if it is 2080something, he's 50% British. <> * Threnody giggles a little at the sight of Sleythin, since the last time he was among them, *he* was the one wearing protective clothing. * Threnody finishes his scone, licks the tip of his index finger, and stands up. "No sense sitting inside all day." <> * Threnody blinks, and eyes it suspiciously for a moment. "Nobody knows I'm here, except Aunt Karen..." He picks up the receiver. "Good morning." (Hello Neo.) (*snerk*) <> "Hello, Threnody. Beautiful morning, isn't it?" <> * Threnody goes from curiously suspicious to warily cautious. "It is. I'd be gratified if you'd introduce yourself, though. You appear to have me at the advantage." "My name is Dorian Parker. I'm delighted to finally meet one of your family." <> * Threnody says, a little uncharacteristically deadpan, "There are rather few of us to meet these days. What can I do for you?" (I had to cut Ms./Mr. Parker from that, as Dorian's a little androgynous. ^_^) <> "I would like you to meet me in the park adjacent from this hotel in fifteen minutes. There is a matter of some importance we must discuss, sadly not one I can say over the phone." * Threnody eyes the receiver briefly, then sighs. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice. I'll be happy to meet you, Mr. Parker, but be advised that attempts on my person will be met with stern grace." "I assure you I know quite well of your skill. I look forward to meeting you. Good day." <> * Threnody sighs and sets the thing in the cradle, then looks for something suitable to wear, settling on loose black pants and a long cobalt tunic. <> * Threnody then girds himself for hopefully-not-battle with a length of black cord and heads outside to said park nice and early. <> <> * Threnody chooses a bench carefully and sits down, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, but keeping his mental 'eye' open. <> * Threnody blinks, opening his eyes immediately and seeking out said telepath, instantly wary. <> * Threnody doesn't wave, but his expression softens a little bit. %%Good morning.%% %%Pleasant day to you, Mr. Tsukitomi. Do you mind if I join you?%% * Threnody raises an eyebrow. %%It certainly would be more amicable than thinking really hard at each other, as my mother puts it.%% (Okay, this is going to be a first.) <> (HA.) <> * Threnody stands and handshakes. He's used to it. "Did you come all the way to Mars to meet me, Mr. Parker? I should be flattered." "No, I've been bumming about Mars for a while now. Anything to annoy the parents, you know." <> Please don't be offended when I say that in fact, I do not know, but I have some appreciation. * Threnody indicates the bench and has a seat. <> "It's been an interesting time on Mars for you, hasn't it, Mr. Tsukitomi? May I call you Threnody?" If you wish. <> "Good. It's nice to know other people with the same talents. Makes one feel less alone, doesn't it?" * Threnody turns to the person next to him with a quietly solemn expression. "It might. I hate to seem unpleasant, but what business do you have with me?" (Man. He's a jerk! I didn't want to play him a jerk.) "It's more what my... well, I suppose we'll call him my employer. What business my employer has with you." * Threnody tilts his head curiously. "What would ATC want with me?" <> "No, no. I am not nor will ever be employed by ATC, despite my family's position. No, my employer is more local." * Threnody ahs, making a cute little "I see" face. "Forgive my rash assumption, but given your background, it wasn't unfounded. Please continue, however." "He's very into the concept of Fate, you see, and Fate has dealt him a tough hand. Luckily for him, Fate has also arranged for some partners in the game, but unluckily, one of them is you." * Threnody raises an eyebrow. "As my mother would say, 'There is only one way to untie a Gordian knot'. Perhaps you can simplify this a bit?" <> "How much has your mother told you about her 'adventures'?" * Threnody says, somewhat flatly, "More than I am at liberty to discuss." "Good, then probably most of them." <> "Then you're aware she helped save the galaxy. Twice." * Threnody nods slowly. "'Helped' being the key word, but you are correct." "My employer would like to help you keep the family business thriving, so to say. And according to him, you haven't a choice in the world." <> * Threnody studies Dorian carefully for a moment, then breathes out. "The scariest part is, you are actually quite serious. I can sense it." "Of course you can. I knew this would be easy once Anders told me you were a telepath. And that is his name, by the by. Anders. I'm sure he'll drop by eventually, or more likely he'll wind up wherever you wander. He's an odd one like that." <> "It's not as bad as you might think. All you've got to do is liberate some artifacts, and return them to us. We'll even let you keep the ones we don't need. And some of them have some truly amazing powers." * Threnody mmms softly, then looks up at the sky for a moment, and keeps his gaze up when responding. "Let me be frank, Mr. Parker. I don't believe in such a thing as 'fate' or 'destiny', and I'm not interested in 'truly amazing powers'. But..." * Threnody turns back. "If you were going to play the world savior card, you researched me pretty well. If it will help mankind, then I will offer my assistance." "It's good to hear you agree so readily. The others took much more convincing. You'd like to know more, I imagine?" 'Need' to know more, if you expect me to do anything, I pray. * Threnody looks at the pond. "I'll be watching the results of what I do. There's no dishonor in making a mistake, only in allowing it to continue." "Our supposed enemy doesn't even exist on this plane. Beings of incredible power, slightly removed from where we are. They've been around a very long time, truly, longer than humans. They lived on Earth, for a while, until they left." * Threnody raises an eyebrow. "If I didn't know firsthand about chess-playing AIs from outer space, that might sound a bit far-fetched." "Ah, but of course. It is far-fetched, but it's what Anders says, and he's generally right about such things. He doesn't know why they left, but some time ago some humans decided they needed to come back. They've been collecting the artifacts, for there's a set of artifacts that will open a portal to where they live." * Threnody chuckles. "How terribly dramatic. But we do live in a storybook world." "Don't we just? These are the ones who'll you'll be competing against for the artifacts. And along the way, Anders has told me to promise you'd confront your demon." <> "I'm not sure what that means, but he's sure it would be something you'd want to hear." * Threnody gets a very blank expression, and after a moment's pause, manages to say, "I'd like to meet this Anders." "As I said, you will. He'll be right where you wander. An eccentric fifteen-year-old, that one." ...fifteen-year-old. * Threnody raises an eyebrow. "Storybook world or not, Mr. Parker, that bears some explaining." "He's precognitive. Apparently infallibly so, if selective in what he chooses to see. Or is able to." * Threnody raises the other eyebrow. "A most impressive gift. Or... perhaps, a most terrible curse." "For a child, most certainly a curse. The poor tyke lost his parents when he was eleven, and moved out the day before." * Threnody mmms softly. "What a horrible burden. It's impressive that he's turned his sights to noble aims." "HE says it's his Fate, and he would have been dragged to it kicking and screaming had he not accepted it." <> "You'll be working alone for now. You're too high profile at the moment to introduce to the rest of the team. For that matter, keep your head down as much as possible." * Threnody blinks a few times. "High profi..." There's a leaden pause. "...ah. I perhaps see what you mean." "It's temporary, I assure you. You'll meet them soon." No, your precaution is just and safe... perhaps for a moment, I'd tried to forget. "You shouldn't try to dodge Fate like that, in my opinion. I should know. It took me two months of dodging Anders and continually getting mixed up again in the whole mess to realize I wasn't going to get out myself." * Threnody laughs, then shakes his head. "You misunderstand a bit, Mr. Parker, but that's alright. I am a danger to others, as I am now... that's the most that should be said." <> "Your abilities should help you. Avoid those that seek you, seek those that wish to be avoided. The Concordat." ...'Concordat'? "Their name." (The name of an ancient fate!) (*FLEES*) (YOU CANNOT RUN FROM FATE *throws a tank named Fate at you*) (*is crushed under the horrible weight of Fate*) <> "This is Ander's email and contact address. It's a room at the Red and Gold, the same place you're staying." * Threnody takes it, and stows it somewhere in the tunic. "How fortuitous. It does seem to support this whole 'fate' idea." Though I remain skeptical. "So it does. He's rarely there, though. Sometimes I think he doesn't sleep." * Threnody mms faintly. "Sleep is when our mind pieces together the events of our lives into dreams. I've lost enough sleep to know he might feel the same." <> "Wait till you meet our Samuel. He doesn't sleep at all. An odd Twenty-Four quirk." * Threnody smiles faintly. "Does he have some sort of computer-related power?" "Or at least enough I've never seen him do it... no, actually, his power is slowly dying." <> * Threnody raises an eyebrow. "A vast storybook world indeed." "You'll see when you meet him. Or he'll tell you, more likely. The man dotes on Anders like a disciple, and swears he's going to be saved." * Threnody mms faintly. "The ancient teachers who still live in Asia suggest salvation begins and ends within." * Threnody smiles. "It's a teaching I wholly believe in. He should look into it." "Can't change genes with thought, Threnody. Not even us." * Threnody chuckles, then pauses. "Do you know why I don't believe in fate, Mr. Parker?" "No, but I'd be fascinated to hear it. And call me Dorian. You and I shouldn't bother with titles." * Threnody shrugs. "As you like." He looks up. "The reason is, where fate exists, hope cannot survive." * Threnody looks back over and smiles. "Without hope, Dorian, I wouldn't get up every morning. I cannot believe in fate." <> "A compelling reason, to be sure." I wouldn't presume to tell 'Samuel' how to live or how to die. But... if you happen to mention what I just said to him, I'd consider it recompense for the start you gave me this morning. <> "I will do so, to be sure. Courtesy is everything." Only if you mean it. Which is, for certain, why I no longer live on Earth. "You should always be courteous, even to those you hate. And you are right, there's barely a truly civil person left on the planet anymore. Well, within polite society, certainly." "To that end, would you like to know a little about your future comrades? It's more information than they got, to be sure." * Threnody laughs. "Is that fair? Though I admit to some curiosity." "They fear their futures. You've risen to meet it, more or less. And I'm not concerned with fairness. I imagine when you finally meet you won't have time for introductions." I suppose you make a good point. And telling them of me just puts them... or possibly me... at risk. <> "There's Kat, the dog-eared cybertech designer whose apartment has become their base of operations. Living with her is Rochelle, a pale young girl with no readily apparent power other than cat-eyes. In the alley outside lives Demeteria, another young girl who claims to be the world's first full-conversion cyborg." * Threnody eyebrowtwitches ever so slightly at the word 'cyborg'. "How... ecclectic." "Then there's Ian, the retro-fi author, Leopoldo, a scaly freighter captain, and Vera, a bounty hunter. Anders says you'll be safe, but doesn't say why. I don't think she knows about your bounty, is my guess." * Threnody mmms faintly. "If she's a 'legitimate' bounty hunter, then she might not. Mine is of a substantially more... shadowy nature." "So I'm told." <> "Drat. My ride will be here any minute." * Threnody keeps that information under tight mental lock and key. "It was my pleasure, Dorian, in the end." * Threnody stands and extends his hand. <> "Mine as well, Threnody. Very nice to meet someone civil in the midst of these barbarians, eh?" <> * Threnody smiles pleasantly. "Even the basest rock can be a geode." "True enough." <> "I will see you when we're fated to, Threnody." <> <>