002: Video

[hulkbusted]

[It's Saturday morning and Bruce's NV is propped against something to show him seated with a cup of something (tea, considering the string and tag hanging over the cup's lip) in the foreground. People move behind him, some holding cups of coffee before they take seats out of the camera's view. Looks like he's at an outdoor cafe. It also looks like he's found a charity that offers clothes to the poor and/or new arrivals because he's wearing a slightly dingy pale green button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up over his forearms and a couple of buttons left open at the collar.]

Hiring in Siren's Port doesn't go the way it does most other places, does it? I couldn't give the panel at Siren's Port University my CV and published papers for examples of my work, but a few days of filling white boards with equations seems to have done the trick. It's much faster than hiring back home, too, but I guess there's a lot of turnover around here.

In addition, I'm offering my services as an after hours tutor while the days are long and until I go home, whenever that may be. If you need help with math or science up to the post-graduate level in most disciplines, contact me [he leans forward and swipes his fingers over the display, and a link appears at the bottom of the video screen] and we can make arrangements.

In the meantime, I'm at Cafe Bijan, and there are a few people who have been helpful to me since I arrived that I would happily buy a coffee. [He smiles, and the humor is meant mostly for himself and maybe one other person.] Unless you don't drink... coffee.

Comments

[symmachy]

Don't worry, they mostly disliked me for my... devotion towards your race.

[hulkbusted]

Devotion?

[symmachy]

Yes. For the past few thousand years, I suppose you could say I've been a protector.

[hulkbusted]

[Past few thousand years, Bruce. Maybe you should rethink this maybe-flirtation thing.]

Protecting humans? From what?

[symmachy]

[Come on it can't be that bad of an idea.]

Other immortals, other humans... everything I can.

[hulkbusted]

[Sure it can. He should probably let the Other Guy meet her.]

When did you find time to sleep? Do you sleep?

[symmachy]

[Yes let's see how that goes.

She shakes her head.] One of the many advantages to being what I am. Sleep is unnecessary, just like your food.

[hulkbusted]

[Chocolate factories and fields of flowers and mayhem.]

If it's unnecessary like my food, does that mean you do it sometimes anyway?

[symmachy]

[Sounds like an excellent time.]

I can. But most of the time, I choose not to. And it's more like a deep meditative state, anyway.

[hulkbusted]

As though 2/3 of 10000 years weren't enough, you have to be awake the other 1/3 as well. That's just greedy.

[symmachy]

What can I say? I like to keep busy.

[hulkbusted]

Has anyone ever accused you of being an overachiever?

[symmachy]

On the contrary, my grandmother is convinced that I'm too lazy.

[hulkbusted]

Your... grandmother. Okay, how many more times are you going to blow my mind today? [He's really not blushing as he fully realizes what he's said. Really.]

[symmachy]

[Look man she will blow your mind any day. And she just cocks an eyebrow.] Is there something strange about me having a grandmother?

[hulkbusted]

[Good thing he isn't drinking anything to choke on.] Cut me some slack, I'm only human. [Mostly] Having grandparents after 100 would be almost mind-blowing, so make that exponential for over 10,000.

[symmachy]

[She smirks.] She's quite a character. Her name is Dora. And yes, she is much older than ten-thousand.

[hulkbusted]

[Lucky Bruce to have been so out of the loop that no "the Explorer" quips will come to mind.]

Does she look as good for her age as you do? Because that would make family portraits confusing to an outsider.

[symmachy]

[It's okay, it would be lost on her anyway. And Scatty's cheeks go just a little pink. You're making progress, Bruce.]

Sadly, she look every bit her age. Not that she can really see herself. She's blind.

[hulkbusted]

[Way to go, Bruce, since half the progress he's making is accidental.]

Ah... [Awkward. Do you commiserate about the ancient blind grandmother? No one gave him the etiquette on immortals. So far Bruce's record with them is kind of... violent, even if he kind of likes Thor.]

All the martial discipline doesn't scream lazy to me.

[symmachy]

[She laughs just a little.] Yes, well. She is a very strange woman. [Pause. Whelp, they're already this far in.] She isn't blind from old age. She traded her sight for the ability to see the threads of the future.

[hulkbusted]

[He pauses to stack the two teacups, fussing with them a little while he tries to put the top back on his cranium.] Do you go to Greek Myths R Us for that kind of trade?

[symmachy]

Sadly, no. You go to another immortal.

[hulkbusted]

Was it worth the trade?

[symmachy]

She seems to think so.