[PRP] Can See You When Your Sleeping (Chiara - Engrav)

[Micillia]

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Now that she had met the guy, her interest in this Engrav troll was even more so. She had heard that he had set up little cameras all over Chittentown, and even went to go see them for herself. Yep. The yellowblood had set up quite a number of them, and the blueblood was pretty sure she had even missed a few. She was impressed. Now it was time to cause a little mayhem.

The blueblood had a pretty easy time of getting herself a "construction crew" and doing "repairs" here and there in Chittentown. No one was going to question a highblood in Chittentown, and especially not an adult highblood. Of course, Chiara didn't go as Chiara, she wore a nice disguise, some other blueblood, and went about unheeded. The blueblood's crew would set up cones around the bugged area, made it look like they were doing work, and then just rewire the camera so it fed to Chiara's operation instead of Engrav's. It was fine, if all went well she would just give it right back. Each time she rewired a camera she left a little note for Engrav to find. Just a sign where only the camera could see, detailing notes on where to meet up. She was looking forward to it. Engrav had said he didn't play games. Ha! He had cameras set up all over town, if that wasn't a game, what could it possibly be? No one was that paranoid!

Chiara had set the time and place. A simple dinner invitation. The blueblood had rented out a large back room of a fancy restaurant, just for the two of them. She had it booked for a few days. The yellowblood was flighty, and Chiara wanted to give him plenty of time to settle in and look the room over.

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav seethed into his hand. Chiara. She'd been playing with his cameras. He had fallen down on the surveillance of Chittentown recently, being more busy in Civisect with building legitimate operations, but that didn't mean he wanted the blueblood mucking about with all the hard work he'd put in. He watched the feed again as the blueblood grabbed another one of his little beauties, snipping the wire and making his monitor go blank.

Next time, he was rigging them to explode if someone played with them.

The yellowblood checked the notes she'd left for him, seeing a time and place. Clearly she wanted to meet. He reviewed some footage he'd set aside earlier, the very few tapes he had of Chiara in Chittentown. She was illusive. Not only did she seem to almost always know where his cameras where, her face seemed to often be shrouded in shadow, or deep within a hood, and she was never caught on film doing anything untoward. That level of attention to detail was... suspicious. He tapped his sniffnode with a stray finger, thinking carefully.

This was a game.

It was always game with her.

"Fine." said the yellowblood, looking at the flicker of movement from the shadow of his screen. "I'll play."

It was some work, surveying the meeting point, but Chiara had clearly planned ahead. The room was clean of embedded electronics or manual listening equipment. No hidey-holes for weapons or backup or tricks. The blueblood had clearly done her homework. Engrav wondered exactly how much the blueblood knew about him. Probably a little more than he knew about her, other than that she had a bad reputation. He arrived at last on the assigned date with nothing but a pencil and a pad of paper, and a small wood box tucked under one arm. Engrav's nerves were firing on all cylinders, telling him to get out, that this was not only a trap, but an execution.

His gut was lying to him. Chiara might be devious, but he knew that her type didn't throw away pawns unless they thought there was no more use to be gained from them. It would be more dangerous to not show. He pushed down the buzzbugs in his gut and walked through the back door into the dimly-lit restaurant beyond.

micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Chiara waved as Engrav entered the room. "Hope your hungry." She said with a smile as the yellowblood sat down. "Ive already ordered appetizers. Hope you like engorged waterfowl filtration glands." She said, knowing he would have never had the opportunity to have tried something so exotic. "And of course, order whatever you like. I hear the chef here has an excellent dish; cured pheasant fleshy growths seared in a fungus and lactate cream."

Chiara smiled at the yellowblood, noticing his pen and paper. "You've come prepared." She commented, raising an eyebrow. "I know i have your card, but i enjoy a little more... creativity with my dinner invitations. You don't mind, do you." Chiara said the last part as a statement, not a question.

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

"I-" Engrav started, poking at the indescribable piece of meat with a fork. What WAS that even? He popped it in his mouth, chewed. And chewed. And chewed.

"It's fine. Thanks." Engrav said around the mouthful. He wasn't having any luck getting purchase on this little piece of meat at ALL. It was like it was made of some industrial strength rubber or something. Did highbloods really eat like this all the time? What was wrong with a good cup of soy-based protein noodles? They were hot and salty and contained most of your daily recommended nutrients and best of all you could chew them. He'd never take such a simple thing for granted again. Eventually he gave up and swallowed the damn thing whole like a lump of gum.

He set down his fork carefully, letting Chiara take the lead on exactly where this dinner was going. He clearly had no idea exactly how fine dining worked, but he was more than happy for the blueblood to order fro the both of them while he tried to puzzle out why she'd invited him here in the first place. "Please," he said, pointing to the menu. Game face on, all polite with pleases and thank yous. "You're the expert. Why don't you go ahead?"

micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Chiara gave the yellowblood a smile, and she turned to the waiter, who came scrambling over. "Lets go with an order of wheat rounds in a herb and rainbow drinker repellent with flesh from a quack beast, and, how about your... cereal grain with the fermentation of ethanol and shrub cuttings." She smiled as the waiter nodded and took Engrav's menu. Chiara didn't actually have one, menus were for less... privileged trolls.

As the waiter went to fulfill their orders, Chiara rested her in her interlaced hands. "Your the kinda guy who doesn't like to dance around, i get that." She took a sip of her liquid hydrogen and oxygen before continuing. "So, ide like to be forthcoming; im interested in a partnership."

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav Setlar

Engrav gave the blueblood a look. No games? No not-so-subtle propositions? He took a sip of water to hide his surprise, managed to not choke on it at all. "No dance and song? I'm... surprised. I showed up tonight with every intention of playing along until I found out what you were up to, but... hmm. A partnership." The yellowblood thought for a moment.

Why in the world would she want a partnership with him? He was ambitious, but... well, he was still a lowblood dancing around the feet of social giants, poking at their heels. Engrav tried to discern some sort of intention from the way she was looking at him, but the best he could get from her was amusement. That's pretty much what he'd expected.

"I'm intrigued." He said, swirling his glass and looking into the distorted reflection. His own face stared back at him, lengthened and burned; a monster. "And I'd like to be candid with you as well. But why me? What is it you think that I do?"

micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

"Well," Chiara said, drawing it out more than she needed to be. "You did go all around town putting up small cameras in high traffic areas, and have been, i presume, spying on as many trolls as you could see." She looked right at him, as if challenging him to deny it. She wished he would, but she figured he wouldn't. Sure, she said forthright, but there was no way to get the game out of Chiara, or Chiara out of a game. Its just how the cat likes to play.

"Also," The blueblood continued. "You have been up to some other things as well. Ide say collecting quite a few intelligent trolls seems to call attention to yourself." Pretty much anyone foolish to take interest in Tevini had Chiara's eye. The blueblood wanted to strip that redblood down, of all her power... and other things. "What do you have planned with them, hum?"

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav Setlar

"Guilty," said Engrav with a grin. So Chiara was keeping an eye on him? The yellowblood couldn't say he was surprised. He wondered which of the trolls he'd considered approaching had flagged Chiara's interest. "Although, the cameras were something I was more fond of when I was younger. My way of keeping an eye on the event of Chittentown. They were never incredibly useful. There was just far too much tape to watch all of it on any given day, even if they were set to just record movement."

The yellowblood shrugged. He could always use more partners, especially ones like Chiara who seemed to know the more shadowy aspects of Alternian business. At the very least, he was pretty sure he could count on her to try to put herself in as powerful a position as possible, and he could definitely use more pairs of eyes watching his back.

Engrav nodded, decided. "I'm trying to put together a few visionary trolls to work on scientific projects. Something that will make a few beetles and put our name on the map." It would be Chiara's decision if she wanted to get in on the ground floor of that. He was more interested in what they could share if they networked information instead. "If that answers your question. That's all aboveboard, no secrets hidden there. The company is on the books, if you'd like to check."

The yellowblood shrugged. "I could use a few more board members for that for that, but partnership... well. That's a whole different matter, and I've got just the idea." Engrav grinned, a glimmer in his eye. "That's all simply business, but honestly, I think you might find it quite boring. I do have a few... extracurriculars I would be happy to have assistance with. And if you require any aid from me or my network, I'd be more than pleased to assist you in return. I would also love to share tidbits if you have the time. Maybe swap some information. I do like to keep the ear I have left to the ground."

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Chiara nodded. Going in on the above ground plan was a good start, or it would be a bad indicator that they would be working together. But the yellowblood was right, that stuff was largely boring. "Well, i do wonder about your future plans with your company, SYBIL. I can understand being motivated, but i feel like there has to be something a little more there to motivate a troll like yourself." Engrav didn't seem like the kinda troll to just up and make something without a plan. Even if the thing was largely legal and the like, there still had to be some sort of goal. Maybe she would invest, just to get one more pie for which to poke.

It was the other things that intrigued her more. "I have a host of my own resources im willing to offer as well, when we get the details worked out, right?" She mused a bit, pausing. "Extracurricular activities, huh?" Thats where things would be. "Would you care to elaborate?"

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav Setlar

"Sybil is supposed to be a collection of trolls that are interested in putting together the future of Alternia. At least, that's the sales pitch." Engrav took another sip of water. "It's still very much under construction. I have a few ideas of my own that require a bit of framework and maintenance, but when we get started... well. When your crews were disabling my cameras, did you see how they had no centralized wires? I figured out how to send that picture via a specialized radio signal. With enough towers to relay the signal, I should be able to get encrypted communicators in the hands of every troll nearby with a few beetles. It's an oscillating signal that encrypts itself to the individual signal of the camera, but that could be just as easily inverted for each radio tower in the future." He could see the blueblood's eyes starting to glaze over just a little bit. Too boring. Engrav could tell he had to spice it up some. "Essentially, I created Sybil to create THE products that define the future of Alternia, through the network of creators that I've put together. And when you control the future, you can set your own price."

"As for my other activities" The inventor continued, a little more cautious. "That's a little more private. How about for now we trade a rumor or two, see where it goes from there?" Engrav wasn't about to offer up any juicy info on himself without something tasty in return. "How about this. Ask me any question with a yes or no answer, and I'll answer you trusthfully, but then I get to ask you a question in return. Think of it like a game. First one who refuses to answer loses."

micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Well, he sure had his plans thought out, and they were pretty ambitious but it looked like he was on the right track for it. Even just going in for the above ground operation would be worth the beetles. And she had plenty of beetles, especially due to her own recent business expansion. The blueblood sipped her drink while she watched the yellowblood ramble on.

"Sounds like a good start." Chiara agreed. She mused it over, what to ask... "Do you have any other trolls in on your, more secretive, ventures?" Sure, small start.

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav Setlar

"Hmm." Engrav considered for a moment. He didn't have anyone that he was explicitly sharing with, so... "No. No one that I I've approached." Although that was almost certain to change as soon as he made contact with Sinter. Chiara certainly didn't have to know about that, though. He'd answered her question, even if he hadn't given her to full context, so the yellowblood guessed it was his turn.

Engrav thought for a second before he asked. What did he want the blueblood to reveal? What would convince him that he could share his plans with her? He would start small, then move slowly to bigger fish. "I looked at your public records a little while back. Chiara Moteku. Professional troublemaker. You've got a shadowy rep from pretty much everyone I talked to, but I couldn't actually find any examples of you doing anything unsavory." He rubbed at his missing eye with a metal hand, scratching at the edge of the scar tissue. "So I guess here's my question. In your opinion, do you deserve your reputation?"

micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara Moteku

Chiara didnt know if she actually believed Engrav's answer. Then again, he was a pretty anti-social guy... The only troll she had ever seen him with voluntarily was some weird brownblood. That weird guy that always waved at every camera he saw and said "Hi Engrav!" to it... Chiara decided to accept Engrav's answer. So, she was the first one he had come out to. Good to know.

Chiara raised an eyebrow at Engrav's next question. Of course he had looked her up. "Humm," She mused. She could just leave it at a simple yes or no. It was more mysterious that way, and boy did Chiara like being mysterious. "Past me did indeed earn a reputation... So if your looking at the past, then yes." There, that was an answer.

Now it was her turn. She steepled her fingers together and quirked her head to the side, contemplating the yellowblood. There were things she wanted that were not exactly on subject, but, now seemed like as good a time as any to ask. "You volunteered for space expeditions..." The blueblood started. "Did you come across anything that..." How would she word this, "Might be considered heresy against the Empress...?"

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav Setlar

Engrav grinned. This was something he'd been intending to give the blueblood anyway, but now she'd have to spend a few questions figuring out exactly what it was. He had a copy of the disc on him right now, secreted in the bottom of the chessboard he'd brought along. He figured that would earn him at least a secret or two.

"Yes." was all the yellowblood said, grin widening to be as infuriating as possible. He knew exactly how much that would irk her, how she would dig to figure out what he'd discovered.

"My turn. I know you spend time commiserating with military trolls." He looked the dangerous blueblood in the eye, gauging her mettle. Nothing there but pure determination. Good. They could be valuable to each other as long as neither of them showed weakness. "Do you have any military enemies?" That would be a good thing to know, especially if he could narrow them down. See the kind of troll Chiara got on the bad side of.

micillia