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Asbolus: A call had been made and an invitation extended, which ultimately let to Asbolus standing outside an apartment building west of UPenn, waiting patiently for Mearcstapa's arrival.
Mearcstapa: And Mearcstapa, as expected, does arrive. He's dressed in a t-shirt (this one from a security conference in 2017) and cargo pants, his usual messenger bag slung over a shoulder, a pair of wireless headphones (actually rather bulky headphones, not earbuds or anything, perhaps like the kind a landscaper might wear to listen to music while mowing) on his head--though as he reaches Asbolus, those are moved down to around his neck. His nails are painted purple with a design in black, his hair's held out of his face with silver utility hairclips.
It's a look.
Asbolus: Asbolus gave Mearc a nod as he approached, smiling as he spotted the flashes of color here and there among his wardrobe. "Evening. Trip did you well, I take it?" He motioned for the other Hunterheart to follow, heading into the building and staying on the ground floor for the moment.
Mearcstapa: "Very. I'm glad to be home, though. There's plenty of work to be done, now that my head's back in a space where I can do it." Mearc nods, following Asbolus thoughtfully.
Asbolus: "Glad to hear it, and true indeed. Good that you were able to get some rest in while you could, though." The building that they walked through wasn't anything in paticular to write home about, kept tidy but not overly fancy.
He paused in front of the Service Personnel door, checking the hallway to make sure no one else was about before he gave the door three firm knocks. A moment later he opened the gate into the humble little hollow behind it, the main room simply decorated - comfortable chair, a collection of books on a small wooden shelf, a few pieces of art here and there - but still feeling well-lived-in nonetheless. Beyond was a small kitchen-type area with cabinets, a table and a few more chairs.
As tended to be the norm with hollows there was little in the way of electronics, but the selection of tomes was telling in a way: plays of both part and modern make, novels and non-fiction on a number of subjects, and a few of a more esoteric bent. There was another door on the far wall that was closed, albeit unlocked if checked, that led to a small hallway which housed two more doors. "Home sweet home, such as it is. Care for some tea or the like?"
Mearcstapa: Mearcstapa immediately gravitates toward the bookshelves, curious what Asbolus has been reading. "Tea would be a kindness, please. Your collection betrays you, you're quite a nerd."
Asbolus: "Quite welcome. Black or green?" He made his way towards the kitchen, chuckling at the comment that followed. "Bit of one, I'll admit. Most of my newer acquisitions have been stories that I'm looking into as research for the podcast project; been enjoyable so far."
Mearcstapa: "Green, please. With honey if you have any on hand. How is the podcast project going? Have you found a suitable microphone or a studio you can record in?" He moves from the bookshelf to the doorway of the kitchen. "Do you have any stories in mind yet?"
Asbolus: "I do indeed." He nodded, going through the motions of filling a kettle with water and setting it onto a battery-powered hot plate to ready it for tea-making. "Still in the planning stages, admittedly. Don't have much to call on as far as resources go at the moment, so simply doing research on that front."
Mearcstapa: "Well. I have something for you which may ease certain anxieties in the planning." He opens his messenger bag, pulling out a manila envelope and setting it down on the table, and then stepping back with a smug little grin on his face.
Asbolus: Asbolus paused after loading some loose-leaf green tea into the strainers and placing them into a pair of mugs to wait for the water to boil, eyeing the envelope briefly before what Mearc meant clicked into place and he smiled warmly. "That will be very helpful, yes..."
Mearcstapa: "Oh, go ahead and take a look--I'm pretty proud of my work. I didn't even saddle you with as awful a name as Mearcstapa, because I like you."
Asbolus: "I wouldn't call it awful in the slightest." He chuckled, moving towards the table to pick up the envelope and look over the contents.
Mearcstapa: There's papers. Well, not all of it is paper--for example, the driver's license is plastic. But other things, like the diploma from U. Penn are definitely paperwork. There's no passport, though, not in this package. All of it is in the name "Whittaker Sharpe", and the pictures on things that need pictures is Asbolus' (or maybe his fetch's, digitally altered to look more in line with how Bo keeps himself.
"It's a pain in the ass, far too memorable, and those who get the reference immediately know it's not usually a name. I'd never change it unless forced, but I wouldn't take it now."
Asbolus: "Fair enough." He nodded quietly as he went through the documents, a small smile settling into place as he looked back to the other Darkling. "Thank you so much for this."
Mearcstapa: Mearc's smile echoes in return. "It's my pleasure to undo what Robin's done and give you a clean, fresh slate. And it's my pleasure, also, to help you."( )
Asbolus: "Indeed...very much looking forward to stepping out from the shadows, odd as that is for an Arrow to say." He smirked at that, setting the envelope down. "Thank you. If there's anything that I can do to help you, don't hesitate to ask."
Mearcstapa: "Make an amazing podcast for me to listen to. Come hang out with me and Lux and Jack more often. Don't be a stranger. I know, these are large demands I place on you." There's a chuckle, and he moves closer to bump his shoulder against Asbolus's.
Asbolus: "A price I'm more than willing to pay." He chuckled in kind, giving a light shoulder bump in return. "If I'm going to be joining into a motley with you lot being a stranger would make that rather difficult, after all."
Mearcstapa: It's at this point the kettle begins to whistle, and Mearc bumps Asbolus once more playfully. "Tea. We can be little kids having a tea party or something."
Asbolus: "Indeed. Then again, tea's rather serious business where I come from." He grinned, moving to grab the kettle and pour the water into the mugs, letting the strainers within do their thing. "How are Jack and Lux doing, by the way? Haven't had a chance to see them since you got back."
Mearcstapa: "I've been keeping them occupied, I'm afraid. We're making plans to renovate an old home and make it a living space, because my apartment's a little crowded. I'm an introvert who isn't getting enough alone time. But...I'm not too fussed about it, honestly. We're getting a lot better about talking around our needs, and we're working on finding the perfect space for our needs."
Asbolus: "I can imagine it getting a little cramped. Glad to hear you're getting things squared away, though" He nodded, glancing at his watch briefly to note the time before looking back to Mearc. "And if you ever need somewhere to step away to, feel free to let me know. I have a spare room here for just such things."
Mearcstapa: The offer seems to surprise Mearcstapa, but he smiles, his freckles turning warm red. "...I might take you up on that at some point, yeah. Give Jack and Lux some time to be together, and spend a night raiding your bookshelves. Because that's the sort of awful houseguest I'd be, here."
Asbolus: "Would be happy to have you, book-pilfering or not." He chuckled quietly. "Good company is always welcome."
Mearcstapa: "Noted. I have a few books of my own that you might like. How do you feel about science fiction? Nothing too cyberpunk, I promise."
Asbolus: "I enjoy it, for the most part." He smirked slightly at the follow-up, giving a nod. "Appreciate it. Still a little touch and go there, for obvious reasons."
Mearcstapa: "Trust me, I understand. Sturm asked me about if I'd play in a Shadowrun game at one point, and I noped out on that hard." Mearc chuckles. "Just like I still can't go to arcades, because I was taken from one."
Asbolus: "I can imagine..." Another small nod from the Darkling. "Understandable. I was outside my apartment as I recall, heading out to meet a friend of mine. Didn't quite make it, though."
Mearcstapa: "How old were you? Wait, that's nosy. I probably shouldn't hunt down all your secrets yet." He glances off to one side. "I'm sorry. Prying is a bad habit of mine."
Asbolus: "No worries." He waived off the apology, checking the mugs and pulling the strainers as he continued. "I was 29, and it was about six years ago at this point."
Mearcstapa: Mearc does a little mental math and nods to himself. "I'm older than you."
Asbolus: "Really..." Asbolus mulled that over a moment as he set the strainers to the side and pulled a bottle of honey down from the cabinets for them to use. "Stranger things."
Mearcstapa: "I was born in 1965, taken at sixteen. If I have a fetch, he's in his mid-fifties now. I haven't bothered to look and see if I do, though." He shakes his head.
Asbolus: "I already told you about mine. Was quite the fright for both of us when I stumbled back into the apartment once I was out of the Thorns." He allowed himself a small smirk, bringing the cups, a pair of spoons and the honey over to the table. "We get along well enough, all things considered."
Mearcstapa: "Mm." Mearc nods, honeying his tea and then stirring it in thoughtfully. "I actually wonder more about my sister. If she had kids, if she stayed in Portland. But I've never gotten up the fortitude to go looking."
Asbolus: "Understandable. Haven't reached out to my brothers or parents myself for obvious reasons, although from what I hear they're doing well." Asbolus nodded quietly, doctoring his own tea before taking a test sip. "Older or younger sister, if you don't mind my asking?"
Mearcstapa: "Older, by several years. I looked up to her growing up, a lot. How about you? How many brothers?" He blows gently on his tea before sipping.
Asbolus: "Two, both older."
Mearcstapa: "So we both got to be the obnoxious little brother in the family." There's a bit of a smirk there.
Asbolus: "Indeed." He smiled a touch in kind. "I was also the bookworm of the lot of us, so you can imagine the hell I got on that front growing up."
Mearcstapa: "I can imagine, yeah. We'd probably have been friends as kids. I'm glad I get to be your friend now."
Asbolus: "As am I. May not have been the best circumstances to have met under, but I'm certainly glad we did." Asbolus lifted his mug in a small salute, still smiling. "Cheers."
Mearcstapa: Mearc echoes the gesture, freckles warming again. "Cheers."
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