001 | video

[enustari]

[The woman onscreen does not look at all well. There's a sickly, jaundiced cast to her skin, which is covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and her eyes are yellowed and bloodshot with deep, dark circles underneath. She also seems to be holding the communicator at arms length. She squints at it a moment, image shaking in time with her hand, then puts it down on a nearby surface so the view changes abruptly to a static shot of the ceiling.]

-Fucking shit, this screen gives me a headache. [Her voice is low and gravelly, like she's been smoking 2 packs a day since age 12.] Let's make this quick. I puked up what might have been a vital fucking organ in the car on the way over here. I need a drink and I need it yesterday. If you can do something about that, send me a message on this thing.

I'll engage with the rest of this shitshow later.

[...]

Verbal responses only. [You can still respond via text, of course, but it'll be several hours at least before Elsa will reply. Reading is hard right now, okay.]

Comments

[enustari]

That's what it is! "Everyone behave, or we'll call out the men in tights!" Ridiculous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwr-7nkTuX4

[brushoff]

Especially ridiculous as, when a crisis hits, they expect you to be one of the men in tights yourself.

yes good this is exactly what my morning needed

[enustari]

They're going to have to lower their expectations.

mel brooks makes everything better

[brushoff]

We both know that's not going to happen.

[enustari]

Then they're in for a disappointment when I move back to China.

[brushoff]

Siding with the Commies already? You're a terrible citizen. [ said with a dumbass smirk on his face. ]

[enustari]

[Grinning.] I'm not a citizen at all. I've lived there since the '50s.

[Says the clearly not ethnically Chinese girl who doesn't look older than mid-twenties.]

[brushoff]

[ Oh now this...this is fun. And interesting. ] I spent the '50s in Singapore, myself. We might have passed each other like ships in the night at one point.

[enustari]

Maybe. I spent most of my time in Shanghai, but I did travel, of course.

[She's eyeing him now, wondering if he's a borrower of bodies like her or if he has some other, as yet unheard of, method of maintaining a youthful appearance.]

[brushoff]

[ Whereas Dorian's eyeing her as well, trying to figure out what Elsa is at the same time. Certainly not a vampire, which is his obvious choice. ]

I traveled all over the place. I fancied myself an explorer back then,

[enustari]

Where was your favorite?

[brushoff]

That's...really a good question. I'm a Londoner at heart, so remote civilization and darkest Africa sort of places aren't entirely my cup of tea. Still, there's something about Singapore that's perfect for relaxation.

[enustari]

[She laughs.] I'm a city girl, as well. I had a penthouse with an incredible view, all the skyscrapers lit up at night.

[brushoff]

I had one as well—in London, not in Singapore, [ said with a grin. ] A necessary evil when you're working in the city.

[enustari]

Oh, I didn't work. —At least, not in the traditional sense. [In a situation like this she isn't all that invested in hiding her true nature, but it's fun to be coy.] What did you do there?

[brushoff]

As bizarre as it sounds, I was a banker.

[enustari]

That sheds new light on your little moneymaking venture.

[brushoff]

It was a long few years when I worked in banking. It was nice to stick it to the man, if only for a little bit.

[enustari]

I don't doubt it. But only a few years? If you've been around as long as I have, you must have done other things with your time.

[brushoff]

I was a member of the idle rich for the first hundred years or so—sans the war and my short-lived career as a musician, of course. It was only later that I actually wanted to get a job.

[enustari]

Which war? [There were quite a few in the last century, after all, especially counting all the mage ones.]

[brushoff]

Oh, my mistake. World War 1. [ said with an idle wave of a hand. ]

[enustari]

I missed that one.

[brushoff]

Passed out in a ditch somewhere?

[enustari]

[wow excuse u]

Not born. [u old fart]