Imladir
Forum Replies Created
-
“I suppose I can.” Caroline seemed to think about that for a second, then nodded “The CV isn’t a problem. Packing… Well, I don’t have much, so it’ll be quickly done. The list of equipment will be more difficult: I don’t need much myself outside of standard expedition stuff which I already have. And as for the group, it depends on what they already have, which is not something I can predict. The main issue will be how I’ll deal with my place and the stuff I have there. Last time I had a few weeks to plan that…”
-
Caroline snorted “Should I be offended you thought I’d be less than honest? You spent too much time in business, and forgot that honesty in academia is a must. At least if you want to last.” She shook her head “Anyway, yes, we can agree. More is a surprise, but not the problem less would have been.”
-
For a long time, Caroline kept silent, as if she were trying to determine if she had really heard what was just said. Finally, she answered “Well, that’s…” she shook her head “Alright, I have no objection with points two,” she glanced at the books, curious. She did like books, there was something to them, something to read a real book, that no electronic version could achieve even if she would have been hard pressed to define what it was “And point four. Considering that I wouldn’t have minded doing it for free, it’s rather more than I would have accepted, so I won’t spit in it.”
She sipped a bit of her coffee, and bit into another croissant. Not that she was really hungry anymore, but it allowed her to take a moment to think. “As far as point one goes… I guess it hinges on what kind of expedition Krait is planning. In absolute, I have no problem joining someone else’s at this point, but we may have different priorities. You’re certainly more able than me to guess what this clinic business is, so I won’t dispute your assessment, but it still leaves a lot of possibilities.” She frowned “Though I suppose it’ll be up to me to make sure we at least get some time to take care of my own goals.” she grimaced slightly, then shrugged “I can probably work with that.”
“Now, regarding point two…” she finished her croissant, and settled back in the couch “Isn’t that too much? Why would you offer that to me, and not someone like Michel that you already know, has been working for you for a while, and has a least a passing knowledge of your businesses? I know I’m smart, but that’s not enough to be a successful businesswoman.” She shook her head “I’m sure I could learn, and maybe even find the time to do everything by delegating judiciously, but… I guess I’m having trouble understanding why offer all that when I’d have done it for nothing.”
-
For a while, Caroline listened silently, as she was looking at the pictures. She didn’t seem really interested in the bones nor the tooth: like she had said, she wasn’t a biologist, so by themselves it wouldn’t have told her much. The only use she could see in all of those was the possibility to get a date, but it had already been done. When Jacques finished talking, she asked distractedly “I assume you asked a Mage to heal you, to no avail?”
She didn’t seem to really listen to the answer no more than she had listened up to there. Of course, given the question, it was obvious she had been listening. Instead, she paid more attention to the pictures, trying to get an idea of the creature, and the species it may have been a member of. She barely looked at the journal: she would need time to read it, and whatever was in it wasn’t important just now.
“So I suppose you’d want me to get to the same place you were all those years ago. That would be the only way to make sure the creatures found, if any, are of the same species. Bogota is not exactly the place I was planning to visit this time…” she shrugged “But it doesn’t really matter to me. Well, as far as my research goes anyway. Now security… That’s another thing, especially considering what happened to your previous expedition on top of that. And I can see why you think it would be important.”
Despite knowing she would need time, she had started, almost despite herself, to read the journal. She forced herself to put it back, and asked “So what is it you want to give me?”
-
“A practical application?” Caroline cocked an eyebrow. When asked to get the box, she nodded. Getting up, she picked it up, and put it on the desk, near the tea tray.
-
Caroline frowned. She didn’t doubt the man had the means to finance an expedition all by himself. While it was certainly expensive, it was only so by her standards. While it would be an investment for anyone, possibly a notable one, to any half decent business it would be… Alright, maybe not pocket change, but nothing to worry about. Of course, since no businessman, no successful businessman, liked to take undue risks, he had to know what he was buying.
No, what she worried about was not his ability to finance her, but the very simple fact that those things were never freely offered. There had to be strings attached. And if she couldn’t find any… As was often said, if it’s free, then you are the product.
For now however, the best way to deal with that was to answer his question. Time would come later, if he was still interested, to ask her questions…and decide if she was ready to pay whatever was asked of her.
She drank a mouthful of her coffee, then started “I spent a couple of months in Panama last year, on a dig with one of my professors. According to him, while the Maya were located north, approximately from Mexico to Managua, members of their civilisation came as far south as Panama, maybe even around Bogota. Though he wasn’t sure of that last one. Anyway, I was there mainly to take advantage of the expedition to study the local paracritters, mostly the Awakened ones, when a week or two before we left we stumbled upon something odd. I’m not a biologist, but…well…I know my paracritters, and in one of the ruins, I’m pretty sure we found the remains of one of them. We performed a Carbon 14 datation on one of the bones, and let me tell you, it was much older than a century. Which is something that should be impossible, considering that Magic appeared seventy years ago. Unless It’s not the first time that Magic appeared in the world but it disappeared then for some reason. If that is true, then we’d have to look at a lot of what we thought we knew of our past and the old civilisations.”
She paused to sip her coffee, thinking. She had almost forgotten the man in front of her, when she shook her head and focused back on him “So what I’ve been trying to do in the last months, in addition to reading whatever I could put my hands on about those civilisations, is to get an expedition down there.” she grimaced “It hasn’t gone terribly well though. First, there’s the obvious local situation, less than ideal, which is the main issue. I’m told there’ll be time later when everything is calm, but…” she shook her head “I don’t have all the time in the world, I have deadlines to meet. And I’m curious of course.” she paused, and this time when she talked, she looked at Jacques “Another obstacle is that there is no practical application. Sure, it’s interesting, sure, it would force us to reconsider plenty of things, but…there’s nothing to sell. Nothing to earn, outside of a bit of knowledge. And to most, that’s reason enough to put that at the end of the priority list.”
-
Caroline frowned “That’s a rather loaded question. And pretty open too.” She seemed to think about it for a minute, as she was eating her croissant, then shrugged “Achieving one’s dream is worth a lot, so taking risks is par for the course, so to speak. If you want to know if I’d be ready to risk injury? I suppose.” she grimaced “Going to South America, I’d say it’s pretty obvious it’s a risk I’d be willing to take. If your question is more along the lines of would I be ready to do some illegal stuff…” She shrugged “No idea. I can say I don’t like the idea. Not that I really care about most laws, but breaking them comes with a lot of issues.”
She bit into her second croissant, eating in silence for a bit, then added “What I wouldn’t be willing would be to compromise my core values. A dream is worthy of pursuing only if it doesn’t compromise you. Otherwise it’s not a dream anymore, but a nightmare, one you recognise as such when it’s too late.”
-
Caroline shrugged “I don’t care if you’re a cripple or not. You’re a businessman, so as long as your brain is intact…” She paused, then frowned. In fact, she didn’t care about his name. Hell, he could be called Theodore Roosevelt for all she cared. The only thing that mattered to her was the reason behind her presence here. She really hoped it wasn’t a plan to try and convince her to work in the club. That would be rather unpleasant. She found it odd though. Why all that, simply to talk about an expedition in South America? Sure it was pretty important to her, but it was obvious not many thought the same. She wouldn’t have had that many problems to get one going otherwise. Another thing she found odd, was why he didn’t do anything for his problems. It wasn’t like he lacked money, so most problems should have been easily fixed. Maybe not with cyber – some people really didn’t like that – but maybe with bioware? Unless he had a good reason to want to avoid even that. Reasons like him being Awakened.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the other man arrived. She looked at him for a second, wondering why the pause – it’s not like there was a lack of pretty girls around here after all, right? – and thanked him, but was far more interested in the content of the tray than she was of him. By the looks of things, she was more likely to eat two or three croissants rather than a single one. After a bite in the first one, she looked at Jacques, obviously waiting for the question…and wondering if she should check if he were Awakened. Or at least Assensse him. Maybe she would get an idea of what the problem was?
-
Caroline didn’t pay attention to anything else but the books for a moment, passing her fingers on the back of a few of them as she read their titles. Ass such, it took her a moment to notice that the man in the room wasn’t the one she was half expecting to see and that, in fact, she didn’t know who he was.
She didn’t comment on the chair or the device thing, even if she cocked an eyebrow in surprise, curious to know what the problem was…but too polite to ask the question. When asked if she wanted to coffee, she nodded “At least yes. I was sleeping when Margot called, and the time to take a shower and grab a cab, I didn’t have time to eat yet. So if you have a croissant or two…or even three…I wouldn’t mind…”
-
Caroline shook her head, a bit bemused as she looked at Margot dragging Marcel along. While she didn’t want to generalise too much, it was difficult in the presence of such specimens as Marcel or even the cab driver. Men… At least they were pretty easy to understand. She sighed, then knocked on the door Margot had indicated.
She spent a few seconds looking around when the door opened. Not because she was worried no, simply by pure curiosity. When invited to come in, she grumbled “As long as I don’t have to work here…” She didn’t wait more though, and entered the room. If nothing else, curiosity would have brought her in.
-
Caroline shook her head, indicating her hair “As you can see, I don’t have red hair, so no, I’m not performing there.” She didn’t say more, despite finding the man creepy. She had learned, a long time ago, that it was a lost cause. Hell, if she made a scene, everyone would think she was hysteric, it just wasn’t worth it.
Still, it didn’t exactly put her in a good mood to meet Marcel. She suffered through his examination frowning, her arms crossed on her chest “You’ll see. If you’re nice enough, you may get a private show.” She turned away and walked into the club her ‘link in hand, trying to ignore his gaze on her back, eager to find Margot and be rid of Marcel. On the way, she sent a quick message >>Margot [Caroline]: We’re coming in. He’s expecting a private show, so you better not disappoint him if you want to have his attention.<<
-
One of those dreams…again. Not really nightmares, but whenever she had one of those, she always felt out of it for a couple of hours, despite never knowing what they were about. It wasn’t dread she was feeling, nor anxiousness, nothing she could really put her finger on. It was…unsettling. As such, while she mumbled a few words here and there, it took her a minute to really focus on Margot, and, rewinding the conversation, to understand what it was about.
Cheveux Rouges? She could go there. It wouldn’t be a first, even if she had never accompanied Margot to her work. While she didn’t care if Margot did, she had always refused to go. First, because she didn’t have red hair, second because while she didn’t mind one night stand from time to time, she wanted to chose who it was with, and finally, simply because she didn’t need to: while she had to pay by herself for everything she bought, her skills made her valuable to some corporations for some jobs. It wasn’t too frequent but it paid well enough to allow her to avoid solutions she didn’t like.
Marcel? That… Well… It was probably possible but… She grimaced. That man always wanted to get in her pants. Or under her skirt or…well…whatever she happened to be wearing at the time. It would – almost – have been flattering, if he didn’t behave like that with every woman he saw. Still, considering it was exactly what Margot wanted, maybe she wouldn’t have to owe him anything. Hell, if she hadn’t had to ask him first, he probably would have been the one to owe her after all.
Paracritters and expedition? Now that was interesting. And a bit infuriating of course. After her expedition in Panama last year, she had tried to get a new one on the way for a while now. One would think the older the war was, the easier it would be, right? Not so much though, far from it. Hints that paracritters were nothing new, and that they had existed before should have made things easy but far too often she had heard that it was too dangerous for now and that she should wait. Wait. Easy to say when you don’t have a deadline. PhDs aren’t supposed to last a decade, especially if she wanted to find a job in academia at its end.
“Where? No, the expedition I mean.” As she asked, she turned up the sound on her ‘link and got out of bed to jump into the shower. Given the number of times she had complained to pretty much anyone who was listening, Margot knew she was interested in going back to South America which was why she got out of bed. But… Well… It was Margot. As soon as she had confirmation, she hung up, assuring Margot she’d be there, and called Marcel. “Hey Marcel. Yes, yes, I know it’s early. Look, can you come to the Cheveux Rouges? Yes now, and yes I know it’s early.” She took a seductive voice. She hated to do that, but if she wanted to get him moving, she didn’t have a lot of options “Look, I promise you, you won’t regret it. Oh yeah it’ll be worth your time. Thirty minutes. Yes I know, think I’m any different? Alright, see you.”
Now… She just had to hope Margot wasn’t full of air and that it would be worth it. Only way to know was to be there on time. She grabbed the first things to wear she found, a blouse and a long skirt, then grabbed a cab to bring her to the Cheveux Rouges. On the way, she did her hair in a braid, which took her mind away of what was waiting for her now.
-
I suppose it was me ^^
It should be visible by going to the profile and messages (the red button on the right) then (I think).By the way, DS is up now.