Yum, yum, yum, thanks for the grub. (adeline)

[Adeline]

There was a cliche answer for this question. "I was born ready." However, that wasn't what Tarsus was looking for.

"Nobody's ever really ready for shit," Adeline said, tilting her head up authoritatively so as to look the ankyosaurus straight in his huge eyes. However, other than that, what else was Adeline supposed to say? That she was honestly scared shitless? No...that wasn't true. She just didn't care. She was in this to find out what the Gates wanted...and what they were. It wasn't a question of the current politics, but what had happened before.

It took Adeline a while to answer the rest of Tarsus's question. She sat there, watching him stuff his face, strangely unperturbed by the lack in dinner etiquette. After all, she had grown up with pirates. Finally, she opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again. Another few minutes later and she opened it again. This time words came out.

"I don't want a battle. I don't think anybody really does. I know I have a personal vendetta against the Angels, but they're not all bad. I've talked to them. They're mildly hypocritical, yes, and those in the higher command, the ones they call the Seraphim, are mostly corrupted. Many of the young Angels? Well, they could as easily be members of the Foundry as the Angels. We, for the most part, want to accomplish the same goal: Find the true name of the island, and unravel the secrets behind Dwight Lucent's disappearance and the Gates. It's the Council that needs watching out for. If the Council wishes to start a Civil war with its people, than I will go so far as to make the assumption that many of the Angels would be on the same side as the Foundry. In that cases, our chances will drastically improve. However, at the moment, I see no need for immenent threats of battle to hang over our heads. The Foundry prefers, as of course you've seen, to operate in secrecy. Though, if, as you're conjecturing, The Foundry were to start "butting heads" at the moment, there would not be a "snowball's chance in Hell"...hence why we continue to operate in secrecy, for the most part."

Satisfied with her own answer, Adeline sat back to let what she had said sink in, into both Tarsus's mind and her own.

[Raron]

A chuckle rumbled low in Tarsus's throat. The smile on his face was one of a geninally pleased furre. The sound rumbled for a bit till he looked her in the eye once more.
"You are without a single doubt far far more then just a pretty face. Nice to meet someone your age who does not think passion is a substitute for a bullet proof vest."
He shook his head at this and then paused.
"On the other hand old men like me think we always know best so I suppose it evens out."
He took a handfull of french fries and ate slightly more gracefully as he bit the handful in half. The chewing gave him time to think.
"So, mind if I ask why the conversation start up with me? I mean I am pleased about the way things worked out but honestly I doubted I would have a chance to talk to you directly."

[Adeline]

"Well, I'm in here often...for...various reasons," Adeline replied, "the main reason being to get wasted...for various reasons... However! When I saw you, I recognized you...or at least, your description. There aren't really any other ankysauruses here you know. And anyways, I'd heard mixed things about you. Some of the people who work for me spoke against you as if they had a personal vendetta; others would gush about all the times you had helped them out of a tight situation. And when I happened upon you here, I decided I would, instead of basing an opinion on you from hearsay, find out for myself what kind of a person you were, and if you would be willing to help me out." Adeline, catching her breath for a minute and taking another swig to wet her throat, continued. "However, I wasn't stalking you or anything. I originally came in here with one purpose tonight: to get drunk. I still haven't accomplished that yet."

The tigress knew she had a drinking problem. But who wouldn't if they were in her position? She needed the alcohol every single time something shitty happened. There was just no way around it. However, in the last few weeks, the problem had gotten worse. She still only got drunk on the days that bad news came (most days), but she had been going further and further under the sea of inebriation. She hadn't passed out, yet, but she had been having some memory blanks, which probably wasn't the best thing.

[Raron]

"Heh, some would argue that my reason is worse. I came for the food."
He took a handful of food and chugged down the remains of the first pitcher and put it aside.
"Some people tell me someone could probably use the lining of my heart for fuses I eat so much junk. I know they lecture because they care but I live far to fast to worry about cholestoral... I don't get drunk much but many because my bodyweight. Would take too long and be too expenisive to get drunk on a regular basis... besides if I did I would build up an immunity to it and that is a vicious circle that ends in an empty wallet."
He shook a single finger sadly back and forth.
"and then who would be left to appercate such unique food like this. I swear, if I stuck a wick in this burger I could use it like a candle."
The grin on his face said he considered that a mark of praise.
"So... some of your crew told you to have nothing to do with me... I wonder what they got in the way of to make them that unhappy with me."
He scratched his chin absentmindedly.

[Adeline]

Adeline shook her head exasperatedly. "I honestly have no idea. Some of those people...I swear...I mean, I can't just send them away. That would completely undermine my ideals and turn me into a hypocrite. The whole reason I started the Foundry was because the stupid bloody Angels wouldn't let me in. However, I will say that many of those people, probably the ones who have gotten in your way, are the reasons I sit here getting drunk. I don't know what they did."

Adeline took another swig, then another, then another....then got a new drink. She was drinking it down faster...there was no use in delaying the inevitable.

After a while she spoke again. "People tell me I could use the lining of my heart as an ice box because I'm so cold. Am I cold? I don't think I'm cold..."

[Raron]

He shook his head.
"Nah, I know what cold is... anyone who lives in this blasted city should know as well. I have not known you long but your problem seems to come from the other direction. Cold people don't care. You care too much. It is eating you up... if you don't mind me saying that is as unhealthy as the alternative... on the other hand it is also one of the reasons that you are worth talking to. You care about even the idiots in your group and you don't send them looking for trouble."
He pointed his thumb over the shoulder at the furre who was still keeping an eye on Tarsus to make sure he did not try anything funny.
"I mean some of the leaders of gangs out there would have used him as an excuse to test me. You did not, two points right there. You care about not being a hypocrite, five points right there. I don't waste my time on hypocrites... that is the reason I think most of the angels is just silly. I am supposed to hope that someone who willingly sacrificed something truely important to them... hope they come and protect what is important to me?..."
He rolled his eyes.
"Right... no thanks. Instead... you hold on to the important things... even the less then important things. As for the angels... well I would say there loss they did not accept you and your gain. At least you don't have to go running around at the beck and call of some old furres who are the beck and call of something I am willing to bet they don't really understand. Personally I would rather play revolver roulette with a fully loaded gun then bend my knee to a group of self important, overpaid, and under-qualified group of crazies like that."
He snorted his nose bitterly.
"They have had their heads in the sky so long, gotten so used to looking down... no wonder the city is in the state it is in. I did have done a few jobs for people almost that high up on the political food chain... the higher up the more depraved they seemed and the more I was certain there was a chance they would try to double-cross me."
He pointed in Adeline's direction.
"At least those like you have both their feet on the ground."
He took another drink himself from the second pitcher.
"Not like my neighbors... every damn week they go to the roof, dance, say prayers, sing... and to what? The gates... all glory to the gates... enough to send a furre into a bad mood..."
He looked at her bewildered.
"I mean they keep inviting me... do you think the phrase 'not a chance in hell' leaves much to debate? I am getting on in years, I don't think I should have to walk to the door every damn week to yell at my neighbors that I don't wanna be up before the sunsets unless I wanna and I don't wanna... if I wanted to be woken up that time I would buy an alarm clock to replace the one I stepped on."

[Adeline]

Adeline bowed her head a little bit, demure and humble. All these compliments...seriously. They could really start getting to her soon. Maybe she should show Tarsus one of her many faults. She had finished off her last drink and now reached for another. The bartender looked at her a bit uneasily. He and her were well acquainted because of the many times she frequented the bar. He even helped the Foundry out on occasions. Due to their intimate relationship of bartender and barfrequenter, he knew how many drinks she normally had. She was at her limit.

"Are you..." he started to say, but Adeline waved her hand.

"Don't worry! I'm not gonna fucking kill myself! It's only a damn drink!"

To tell the truth, she had been getting a little dizzy over the past 10 minutes, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. She struggled to remember what Tarsus had said.

"Angel's don't know what they're missing man...Did you know? I heard that one of the Angels even sacrificed his emotions! How the hell can he help anybody if he's emotionless? Emotions are what should have driven him to join the group in the first place. The whole thing's just another one of those civilian roof worships to the Gates. It's just more powerful and scarier and more dangerous and on the whole stupider."

Adeline realized she was sounding drunker by the minute. She would have been fine if the stupid bartender hadn't pointed out that she was at her limit. The psychological impact that had had on her...well...it was spiraling her downhill, and quick. She'd start slurring her words next. Then she would almost stop speaking, still drinking, while hanging on Tarsus's every words or just start silently wallowing in self pity and the drink.

[Raron]

Tarsus looked at the woman and protective instincts bred into his very being raised their head. He placed his hand over her drink to prevent her from taking another swing and kindly looked her in the eye.
"You don't need to prove anything, I am not saying you can not handle your liquor but you don't need anymore in you, passing out and cracking open your skull on the floor will not help your cause much."
He looked to the Bartender.
"How about a pitcher of water so she does not wake up in agony tomorrow morning."
The smile he gave the Bartender was kind but insistent. He was not being mocking he just hated to see women in pain, emotionally or physcially. No matter what the idea did not sit well with him, damage done to women always struck him harder then any other.
He shoved the last piece of pizza in his mouth and then chewing once swallowed, he slapped some money down. He figured it would about equal his bill, a few bucks more more then likely but he would make that back quick doing what he did best... but not this night. He peered at he concerned.
"How is your head doing? Are you at the 'why is the world spinning stage' or the 'you better point my head at something vomit stage'? I wanna know if I should plan to get my coat drycleaned tomorrow."
He smiled to show he was joking.

[Adeline]

Adeline tried to reach for her glass again, but Tarsus's large hands kind of blocked it from her a little bit. "I've never passed out, thank you very much. I rarely ever vomit. My immune system can handle it. Especially after 18 years of living out on the sea." She was talking before she was thinking...did Tarsus know about her past? Did it matter? She was getting a little annoyed now. She just wanted to get wasted. She wasn't trying to prove anything.

"I'm used to the agony. Water won't do shit. Now," Adeline said, a little peeved, "My health and state of inebriation were not pertinent in any way to our conversation. If you would, please, I'd like to continue that conversation. Whatever were we even talking about?"

Talking about being drunk just made her feel drunk. If she could push it back to the corners of her mind, she'd be fine. However, when this happened...it never worked for her. Honestly, now she kind of wanted to turn in for the night. She was tired, a bit drunk...she probably couldn't walk in a straight line at all right now, and above all, she was prepared to doom herself for the inevitable headache that would come the next day.

[Raron]

Tarsus shook his head.
"I would love to continue the conversation but I have to call it an early night, stuff to do, people to see. You know how it is."
He knew that there was no way farther conversation would be remembered much less would anything come of it. He liked talking to her though. It was... refreshing to talk to someone younger who did not have their head firmly planted in their tailhole... he knew he had firmly had his head placed in his own derrierre as a teenager but still that did not make it less aggravating.
He reached into his pocket he pulled out a business card, plain white with black print.

Tarsus Ridge
You have a problem, He is the solution.

"Here, it's got a number I can be reached at on the back. Anytime you wanna arrange another meeting let me know, I don't work as much as I used to so I have more free time to talk with interesting people."
He wondered if he should mention he had talked with an Angel recently but decided not to, it was a. none of her business and b. she would likely not remember.
Polishing off his last pitcher of beer he stood and nodded to her while twirling the keys to his cycle in one hand.
"Give me a call sometime, and tell the nighsayers in your group that I said 'Hi'"
With a shrug he saluted as he headed towards the door and then paused.
"If you want info on this city, I suggest you check out old books. Printed ones. They are much harder to track down."
That said he continued on his way.

[Adeline]

Adeline waved half-heartedly as Tarsus left, the card in one hand. What was that he had last said? Check out old books? To hell with that...what was she supposed to do with them? Look at the pretty pictures? Heck, books like that probably wouldn't even have pictures. Tarsus didn't know she couldn't read. Oh well...she'd get someone to read them for her or something...she didn't know...A visit to the library was going to be necessary in the next couple of days. She could read enough to decipher titles. She didn't actually even have to know the titles...she could just look for really, really, really old books.

She finished her last drink, and then finally decided it was time to go. It was after 11 after all. Unsteadily, she got up, paid her bill, and walked out shakily. She walked the dark streets of St. Lucent, weaving from side to side, absentmindedly humming an old pirating song back from her childhood.