Date: No Question

[Thomas Taylor] ((Morgan recap)) "Mostly study - I do a lot of that. I'm trying to learn how one causes a new level of awareness and skill, rather than waiting to happen upon one." Which is to say, she's trying to learn how to force a Seeking, and underlines the fact that she's not really a 'sit down and relax' sort of girl. And, knowing her? She'll learn, and it'll happen. "It's frustrating, though. All the best books are in Greek or Latin, and while I've no aversion to languages, I've never been any good at them, except for Chinese, oddly. And, to a much lesser extent, sign. So there are all these books that I can't even muddle my way through, which means I'm going to have to make sure I work about five times as hard when classes start, so I can get the Greek and Latin that I didn't when Mama was trying to teach me. And . . . maybe Aramaic, though I'm not registered for that class. I don't know if Northwestern even has one." This is musing, contemplative, and then she shrugs. "Anyway, someone has to have written out a translation in a comprehensible manner, and I'll find it. And then I'll see what it is that she wants, which way she wants me to go. I feel . . . almost drawn and quartered sometimes." By this field of interest or that, by this Sphere or that, and she wants to know it all, eventually, but even she knows you have to start somewhere. "What about you, other than a bit of breaking up a human slave ring? You are alright, aren't you? Everyone's in one piece?"

[Thomas Taylor] “Tryin’ to force it pet...” Well there an original approach, there is no doubt in his voice, and in fact if anyone could force a new level of understand he would put money on it would be Morgan. He listens to her speak; he only spoke English, only read English so he was out in the cold on that one. “Pet am sure you’ll master the languages you need, in record lemon as well, either that or...” He thinks for a moment the cogs turning “You cud scan ‘im into a computer, then use sum software to translate ‘im to English...” It could work, there’s enough Techies out there “Talk to the Doc, am sure he cud cum up with a digital scanner than translates ‘im for ya” He then laughs “Cud ‘ave done with you wen bustin’ that slave ring, I ‘ad no idea wat they were screamin’ at me.”

“Pet wen you say she...’ho you on ‘bout?” He had no idea on that one. “Yeah everyone is sound, seven sleepers saved, Info was a bit beaten up but she tells me she will be calvin, not one to force folks to do shit.” He blinks, then looks back into the duffle bag he forgot all about it, but speaks as he starts rummaging around in the bag “Oh yeah, stopped this mystical store as well, ever read King’s needful things, well it was kinda like that save I walk in on chapter two an he ran for the hills.” He chuckles back to her as he is doing something in his duffle bag. “Am robin pet, took a hit to the chest nuthin’ phone pope ‘bout, right as rain. I ‘ave to say Le Fay with all yer studyin’ you don’t make me feel like a lazy sod. I always considered tryin’ to get back in education, but I think it is too late for me, was always germans on kinda guy...” He looks over his shoulder to Morgan as he does give her one of those enticing charming grins he holds in reserve. “But, I’d like to learn latin, sum other hollowers were gonna teach me but I ‘ad to move on.” He finally pulls out a red rose from the duffle bag, it was not as pristine as when he put it in, and the stalk was a little bent and one of the petals had ripped as he hands it to her. He then pulls out a flask and a bottle of water which he pours into the flask putting it down. He nods, happy at that. “I bought you a dozen like pet, but as I said evil shop owner, it all kinda went to pot, but this bad boy survived, I know ‘ow you like red.” Ah see what happens when Thomas plans something, all hell breaks loose.

[Morgan Lake] ".....you bought me roses?" This, for some reason, surprises and touches her inordinately; she doesn't know how poorly off he is compared to her own standard of living, but she does know he isn't exactly rolling in it, and she knows how expensive even cheap roses tend to be. Even counting this as a date, she certainly hadn't expected flowers, or any sort of gift, and there's only a moment's hesitation before she leans in to kiss him - not on the cheek this time, but a soft, sweet and too quick thing on the lips. It's a moment's distraction, and a gift on its own; she's touched him a couple times today, and more often since the thing at the club, but this is different. This is almost vulnerable.

Then, though, there's the question of 'she', and Morgan shrugs. "Just . . . you know, Her." There's a vague wave of her hand that does nothing to help elaborate, and a glance around before she continues, quiet and still leaned in close so she doesn't have to speak up even a little bit. "My avatar, I guess. I just . . . she's She, to me. And gender hasn't yet resolved into a name."

[Thomas Taylor] He was just sat down, he did not know what kind of response he was going to get, he played out in his mind a couple of times...the result was better than expected. Of course he was sat back relaxed when she kissed him but he was on the ball enough to at least meet her lips, nothing forced. A gift to him. He tilts his head when she starts waving around as he raises an eyebrow “Yer not the first ‘ave ‘eard ‘bout this avatar stuff pet, but I gotta tell ya, I ain’t to big of a believer, mainly cos ‘ave never seen mine, like ever an never ‘ad too do one of them dream awakenin’ stuff, all my growth ‘as come from the real world, just realizin’ ‘ave turned a corner and boom ,there I’am new an improved.”

He touches his lips a moment as another urge comes over him, the urge to smoke and he outs it aside for now. "So, wats she like pet?" He knew it could not be bullshit, everyone he ever met had one, just he did not seem to or if he did it never came to see him in his dreams

[Morgan Lake] "I haven't seen her, either. And she's very . . . fair, I think. Just. Which means she isn't always comfortable to be around and there are a lot of hard edges and cold stares, but she's . . . I don't know. She kind of steers sometimes, but mostly, I think she wants me to learn to judge on my own." Maybe she's wrong. She totally could be, and she'd be far from the first to be so. (She'd be far from the first to get smacked for it, too.) If nothing else, it's an interesting flight of fancy, one that makes her better able to deal with so much time alone. Once, not so long ago, she was a very social creature - Miss [Enid Geraint] Morgan Lake, homecoming court, most likely to end up with a Supreme Court seat.

"Anyway, I guess I'll get to know her better as I learn more. Maybe you will to? I don't know. I just know she's there because of the pushing and pulling." Which could well be self-directed, and some of it is. But here is a girl who needs to believe in something bigger and more-knowing than herself, at any rate. "Would you want to, if you could?"

[Thomas Taylor] He had heard similar things from others, there avatar pushes them onwards, and lives in symbiosis with the mage, Morgan seemed to have a judgement avatar, and she herself wanted to be a judge. Everyone should have something to believe in, and thought Tom has his one opinions on avatars and the like he certainly is not about to strip Morgan of flight of fancy. “Hey Le Fay, maybe it’s Dike, the Lady of Justice, that wud be kinda cool pet.” He goes into his pocket as the smokes finally come out as he places on behind his ear as he ponders her question.

“Wud I want too...pet am not even sure i ‘ave one, if I did I don’t know, I like to think it’s just me doin’ these things, it’s just me choosing things, it’s just me that pushes meself onwards, an as far as am concerned it is. I ain’t never ‘ad a freaky dream...” He blinks softly “I wud not say no to experience if I do ‘ave one just to see wat the soddin’ ‘ell it might be, but do I need to see it, nah, I am ‘ho I am I can be no more.”