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Mearc lives in a small apartment complex outside the city's busier areas. It's a quiet neighborhood, a peaceful one, with people walking their dogs and kids on bikes trying to make it home before their parents start yelling. It's not fancy, by any means; the building's been around since the 70s, but the general atmosphere is one of calm. It is in his apartment on fourth floor that Mearc is waiting.
Alex makes it to the door without attracting any notice mostly by the use of Obfuscate, which she drops when she knocks on the door. She's dressed in a vivid green dress that flatters her skin tone wonderfully, along side which she's got a denim jacket, an assortment of bracelets, and dangling earrings with silver power symbols on them. There's a pair of flats on her feet, and her hair is pulled into a low ponytail that leaves a giant poof of her curls at her nape.
Mearc answers the door, wearing cargo pants and a nerdy t-shirt, as well as a pair of comfortable slippers. Of course, without her piercing the mask, he's just this freckly white guy with strawberry-blonde hair that needs a haircut, but the way his eyes light up at the sight of her should say something. He gestures her inside, shutting the door, and then opens his arms to offer a hug.
Alex glances around, like she's genuinely worried about things like someone noticing her, and then she steps inside and steps into the hug, she she gives rather fiercely. And perhaps with more strength than she might have been able to in the past. "It's good to see you," she says.
There's definitely something not-quite right about, though. It's one of those things that takes a moment to be evident, at least for mortals who aren't subject to the full weight of the Nosferatu's curse, and it's really hard to put a finger on. There's an almost Fae-like too-perfect symmetry to her features that wasn't there before, a sense of something beneath that which doesn't make supernatural creatures full-blown unsettled, but is definitely off...
...and definitely new...
...and vaguely familiar. It's not unlikely the way being around Saagochque feels, but to a lesser degree, and less obvious cause.
He tries to brush that off right now, for the sake of enjoying this moment of reconnecting. "Good to see you, too. I would have told you I moved earlier, if you'd said something sooner. Come on in, shoes off if you don't mind."
The inside of the apartment is very tidy--not in the sense of being completely spotless, but there's a sort of minimalism to the decor. No art on the walls, which are still a pleasant neutral off-white, for example. It doesn't really feel personalized, and might even feel a little cold or austere. But given Mearc's personality and tendancy to concentrate on what's useful, this isn't a surprise. It's not like this space is staged, it's just Mearc being, you know, efficient about things.
Flats are easy enough to kick off, and Alex does so as she steps out of the hug and looks around at the apartment from where she's standing. "This is such a you apartment," she says with a bit of a smile. "It fits. How long have you been in town? I..." she shrugs. "I wasn't in a position to get in touch for a long time." She glances around, like she's marking exits or something, and then fiddles with the bracelets on one wrist nervously.
"October. I moved in October. Chicago's Freehold had a few hard blows in a row, culminating in the Autumn Crown manifesting on someone I really, really didn't respect or trust, and rather than fighting, I decided to move instead. I've got a new partner here who does social engineering to augment my pen testing. I think you two would get along. But...Lex, you're looking around like you're expecting an attack at any moment. What can I do to help right now?" He takes a small step back, looking her over quietly, finally registering some of the creepy feeling--but not quite parsing it yet.
"I'm sorry. I'd sure be pissed if a vagary of the Wyrd meant I felt like I had to leave my home," Alex says with a wince, because she understands why he might feel he had to do it, but the thought of having to leave Philly is not a happy one for her. "I guess I should get to the point, huh? I'm less afraid of an attack, exactly, and more worried about how you're going to react to my story of what happened. With a dose of the usual paranoia that comes with knowing what sorts of things are lurking out there."
"Ah. This is something I'm going to have to brace myself for, then? Especially given the assumptions I had been working on. Kitchen or living room talk, do you think?" He watches her, trying to keep his own expression neutral as possible. No eye contact, but that's not a new thing in any way. He's always been bad at that, and looking at her earrings rather than her face is easy.
There might be an implied question there of 'how bad is the hit to my Clarity that I'm probably about to take?'
"I'm not sure if it's worse or better than what you were fearing," Alex admits with a slight shrug. "Definitely more unexpected, though. I'd say I wished that was what had happened instead, except I know just how low the odds are I'd ever have gotten out again." She glances around and then answers, "living room? I'll tell you what happened, and if you want me to leave at that point, I will."
He nods, leading her through to the living room, which has a TV (with Xbox 360 and Switch), a small black coffee table and a comfortable couch that's a dull grey-blue shade. The appearance of it has no personality, but it's hella comfortable, and each part of it reclines separately, so perhaps that's what matters. As he sits on the couch, he turns to face her.
Alex goes to sit on the other end of the couch, where she sits down almost delicately. She's a woman who thinks there's a chance that she might be momentarily destroying a friendship with a few honest words, and might be leaving again in just a minute. She collects herself for a moment, takes a deep breath, and then says quietly, "I'm a vampire." At which point she watches him carefully, waiting for anything in his body language that might say more than his words do.
Mearc goes very, very still for a moment. It's...not a bluescreen of death, but. It's a moment where whatever is processing isn't being expressed externally. A blankness that lasts for more than just a few seconds, as he works through some things rapidly. Not rapidly enough for there not to be a bit of a terrible silence, though.
While she's waiting for his response Alex remains still. Too still. When the living are holding their breath in anticipation of something, eventually they start breathing again because they simply have to. They blink, and fidget. They're not still as corpses, as a general rule.
When he 'comes back', there's a bit of a nod. "Okay. Practical first. Are you in contact with the local vampire community? If not, I can help put you in touch with their leader, the Sakima. While I would hesitate to say she's a nice person, she's at least reasonable."
Practical, then emotional. That tends to be his default when dealing with most things. Alex can probably remember him helping her work through the death of a hacker who did panels at conferences they both attended in a similar way: make sure the community's informed, rearrange the panels he was to speak on, reach out to the widow. All of that handled before emotions come into play. (He doesn't mix the two very well at all.)
Clearly there's a bit of surprise from Alex when this is the reaction that she gets, mostly for the reason she succinctly expresses when she asks, "you know the Sakima?" That wasn't what she expected at all, but it does seem to put her at ease. Some of the normal bits of looking alive return, like breathing and the like. "Yes. I mean, I am." She opens her mouth to speak again, but the fact there's a jumble of conflicting things that all want to come out at once, and her brain can't figure out which ones to put into words first, means she closes it again without saying anything a few moments later. "She's a part of why I'm not doing a lot worse than I am."
"I know the Sakima and some of the rest of the night crowd, yeah. And that does explain the itch at the back of my mind about you--she does it, too, even when she's not corpsing." He chuckles quietly. "I'm not going to ask you to leave, and I understand now why you turned down the dinner offer. We're cool on that front, alright? Though. Though. If you saw Saagochque with her phone before I did, why didn't you say anything to her about how dangerous walking around with a Droid 2 is, security-wise?"
There's a nod at the remark about the itch, a weak but grateful smile at the confirmation he's not going to make her leave, and then he asks about the phone and she can't help it. She sputters out, "that's your first question?" And then she laughs. Not just short, quick laugh, but the sort of full-body, doubling over laughter that comes from something she thinks is profoundly funny coming at just the right moment to be the catalyst for the releasing of a whole lot of emotional pressure. Intermixed between the peals of laughter she manages to ask, "she had a Droid 2?"
"Had, she's upgraded since then." He joins into the laughter, leaning in to rest his forehead on her shoulder as he laughs.
She leans against him too, sharing the moment of relief and joy and amusement until it passes. With the Blush of Life going, as it is, she feels as warm and alive as she ever did, and the laughter seems every bit as real as it ever was. "I never saw her use it," she admits, as the laughter starts dying down. "Of COURSE she had a Droid 2!" she says then, and the laughter enjoys a brief resurgence. "I shouldn't laugh at her," she tries saying, like maybe it will help her stop. If it helps, it's only a little.
"None of them ever think about upgrading. Time is absolutely nothing to them. It's kinda cute, except for how bad it could be." As she leans in, he lightly puts his arms around her--though he pulls back if she seems uncomfortable.
She doesn't seem uncomfortable in the least. In fact, she reacts more like this is something she has been desperate for. Her weight rests against him as her laughter fades to a soft chuckle, and then goes completely. "That's not all of them," she says. "Just the very old ones. One of the things I've been learning is that the ones that live that long are rare. Otherwise there would be vampires everywhere."
He adjusts so he can hold her lightly, offering what support his lanky body is good for. "Mm. Maybe I've just had the luck of running into some of the older ones, then. But, uh...do you want to talk about the circumstances? Would that be helpful?"
She closes her eyes and lets her weight rest against him. She's a slim woman, and there's not so much of her for him to bear. "It would, the story is probably going to make you angry. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"If it's going to help you to unload, I can bear it." He nods lightly. "It sounds like you need to."
She nods her head, yes still closed, and starts to explain. "Some of them -- some of us -- consider themselves to be scholars. Scientists. Largely they study ourselves, and our condition, and what they can do to mitigate aspects of it, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you what brilliant, inquisitive minds can be like." She cracks her eyes open, lifts her head, and gives him an accusing look. "They're never satisfied with learning everything they can about just one subject, right?"
He fields that accusatory look with a rueful little smile. "I mean...look. You're not wrong, but I try not to be too callous when I'm poking around a topic."
"This is a case of 'takes one to know one' anyway," Alex says with a soft laugh, and she puts a hand on his chest not in any kind of sensual way, just as an assurance that she didn't mean anything by it. It's a brief touch, and then her hand lowers again. The next words are more serious. "One of those sorts found out, somehow, I still don't know, that I was Fae-Touched. Or at least that I had walked in other realms, and been touched by them. So he decided he wanted to study me."
"And I imagine being studied by a vampire was...mm. Intense?" His voice is softer now. Trying to be reassuring and coaxing the words from her. But it's not a strong point of his, and it probably seems a little awkward.
"It wasn't voluntary, and it wasn't pleasant," she says with a shudder. "I won't go into the details, but whatever you're imagining, it was probably at least that bad. That was four years ago, when you probably noticed the Alex-shaped hole in the world. I should be clear this wasn't sanctioned by anyone else, and not something he should have been doing. His deciding that he wanted to see what happened if he made me into a vampire, and doing so, and trying to study the changes, was even less condoned. When it came to light the Sakima executed him, set me free, and found someone kinder to take me under their wings. She has been good to me, in her way, so please don't blame her."
"From what I know of the Sakima, she wouldn't have accepted that at all--her respect for individual agency is strong. You're...okay, now? I mean, yes, besides the whole 'being a vampire' thing? Have you told the Freehold what's going on?"
Alex lets out a sharp, short laugh at that. "Okay? Not really, but as well as I can be in the circumstances. I have people helping me to make sense of things. I've made a couple of friends." She flashes a grin. "One of the older guys expressed some interest in having me set up some actual accounting software for him, and help him get out of the literal dark ages of managing his shop." Then she shakes her head. "I haven't talked to the Freehold. I don't quite know where to start. I'm not even sure how I feel. I mean..." she hesitates before adding. "Nobody found me, and I wasn't even over there."
"Ah. Perhaps you feel like no one must have looked hard enough for you." It's soft, but paired with a small squeeze. "Also, if that's Atalo you're setting up accounting software for, thank you. I've been pushing at him for weeks."
"I don't know. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to find out," she answers with a slight lift of her shoulders. "I don't know if I'm in a place where I could deal with finding out people I thought were my friends, and would look out for me, just..." her voice cracks a little, like she's trying not to cry. "didn't notice that I was gone." She blinks her eyes rapidly a few times. "You know Atalo too? How do you know as many vampires as I do?"
"By being a nosy bastard. My partner--the social engineer I mentioned, we're very not romantically entwined--and I have been making friends in that community, for the sake of helping the old farts sure up their security. I've got a small list of other names, some I'm closer with than others." He shrugs, then wraps in closer. "Also, Alex? If I missed you and I'm not even local, I'm sure that they noticed and looked, too. And. And, I'm completely certain that you being a vampire isn't going to make you persona non grata to all of them, given that Marjorie was the one who introduced me to the Sakima in the first place."
"Of course, I come up with an idea for how I might find a way to make a name for myself, and take advantage of the youth that's otherwise a liability among vampires, and you're already working the same angle," Alex says without any heat. "But, hey, unless you've been expanding your skill set a lot since the last time we talked, at least I know where I have more to offer. Not that I'd be surprised if you'd been learning new trades." She neatly ducks the subject of getting in touch with the Freehold again.
"I'm still primarily physical, though I know enough about the digital to give advice on what phones to upgrade to, and I've been recommending Signal to everyone who'll listen. I suppose if I have learned anything useful since the last time we've spoken, it's been some of the social techniques and teamworking. I'm not going to try to outdo you on your home turf, Lex." He lets the subject change go unremarked, but gives her a mild Look so she knows it wasn't unnoticed.
"I'm still catching up on some of the changes from the last few years, but," Alex shrugs. "It's not that bad. More nuance and details than paradigm shifts. The physical side of things is still definitely not my strong suit, either. My hearing is better, so maybe that could help with cracking a safe, but these days listening for clicks as you turn the dial is probably outdated, isn't it?" She offers a smile that suggests she's not being entirely serious. Then she gives him a Shrewd Look and says, "if you're ever looking for help with infosec matters, I'm certainly open to working with you."
"That would be my delight." He nods slightly. "Right now, the closest I have to an 'infosec' project is chasing down reasons Joey Merlino would have an interest in the Museum of Art Fashion Show and the YouthBuild school, but that's not really a vital thing, more me trying to stay busy. I've got a few pen tests coming up, and one that I really really can't tell you about, at least not without permission from the client."
"That show last weekend?" Alex asks, so at least she has some awareness of the topic. "My..." with a light laugh she says, "vampire auntie is honestly the best way I can describe her. She was going to that protest. There was some buzz about the whole thing on the news, with the protests and the donations being publicly made directly to schools and things. Isn't Joey Merlino the mobster?"
"If your 'vampire auntie' is Esme, then we've met, and I can't tell you the exact context of that meeting, but she's definitely neat." He makes a sort of gesture mid-air with one hand that implies 'looping back'. "But yeah, Merlino's the mobster. Apparently the fact that he was around here instead of in Boca surprised some of the local unsavory elements one of my friends asked about it."
"What the fuck dude, how do you know everyone?" Alex asks with a laugh, but she's definitely not upset, just surprised. "Yeah. She's the one who took me in. She used to be Fae-Touched too, so she understands a lot of where I'm coming from. And we can talk about things I wouldn't feel comfortable just discussing openly with anyone else. I'm glad she's here."
Her expression goes thoughtful after that, gaze a little distant, lips pressed together. "Maybe he has a financial interest in the YouthBuild school in some manner?" Then a thought and she asks, "does he have kids? Do they go there?"
"She thinks it's cute when my freckles shift colors." He lets out a warm laugh. "As for kids, he's slept around enough that there might be bastards. And nieces and nephews are also possible. I'm poking a few different avenues with sticks, trying to see what I can find out."
"Well, she's not wrong," Alex says, but with a sad smile. "I can't see it any more. I mean, maybe, with some effort, but not like I could before, where it was all the time." She tilts her head back and to one side slightly, thinking about the problem at hand. "I haven't been too up on what's going on in those circles, obviously. I'd have to do some digging. I can, if you want me to."
"Only if you promise to cover your ass, Lex." He squeezes gently at her. "Don't go looking for trouble too hard, you might find it."
"Don't worry about me," Alex says. Habits from being more Wyrd-bound linger, in that she doesn't say she'll cover her ass, or promise to be careful, or anything of the sort. "I have no desire to have the mob start hunting for me. I'm not sure what I'll turn up, if anything, since their opsec game is probably on point."
"Most likely. It might be worth trying to attack the school and see if you can tie it to him, instead of vice-versa." He pauses. "And I have to worry. I just got you back, after thinking you were Took."
"I sure hope for the school's sake their security is better than it was at my high school," Alex says with a laugh. "Because that was a joke." She wraps her arms around him and gives a gentle hug. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll try to be cautious." It's a statement he could Seal if he wished, even if it's a loose one. That was probably on purpose.
He doesn't seal it, busy with the hug. "I appreciate that. Anything else I can do, either immediately or in the long term, to help you?"
"Anything you can think of to keep me busy is welcome," Alex admits. "I have fewer hours in a day than I used to, since I'm strictly sundown to sunup now, but I still have to fill that time somehow, and night is a lot quieter. Getting stuck in my own head isn't a pretty place for the time being."
"Yeah, I can understand that." His voice is soft. "And it's not like you can spend all your time upgrading other vampires' systems. What are you doing tomorrow night? There's a new club--yes, owned by yet another vampire I know--opening up, and they're doing five drinks for five dollars for the fifth. I was planning on showing up with a friend of mine who likes that sort of atmosphere. But I wouldn't mind another friendly face."
"I won't claim to understand now what it was like for all of you who got taken to Arcadia, but..." Alex shrugs. "I'm closer, now, I suppose. Even if I'm also further away. I'm sorry." She says this, offers a sympathetic smile, and then turns it enthusiastic. "Sounds like a good time. Not that I drank much before, since I was underage, or that I can drink much now, since that's not really how my physiology works any more. But I can have a good time without drinking."
"I mean. I wasn't entirely planning on drinking all five drinks myself. I'm not...I don't like the loss of control that comes with drinking. But there'll be music, and dancing probably. And it's a time and place to get you out of your head." He lightly places a fingertip against her forehead.
She smiles. "I love to dance." Then she blinks. "Have you ever seen me dance? I know there have been parties and dances at some of the conventions, like at Dexcon, but I don't remember if you've ever actually seen me at them."
"At the time we were acquainted, I had not yet loosened up enough to be going to the dances. I do dance now, some. Not well. But my...some of my friends like to, and it's worth it to see them smile."
"I hope it makes you smile, too," she answers him. "I'm glad you've been able to loosen up some. And thank you. For tonight, for listening, all of it."
"Of course. It's been good to catch up." He nods, then pauses. "Is the reason you didn't reach out because you thought I'd reject you, for being like this?"
"I've only been free a couple of months," Alex says, a little defensively. "I was chained up in a lab before then. For the last couple of months..." she glances away and down. "Some of the time, I've been trying to decide if I even wanted to live this way. Or just watch the sunrise one last time. The rest of the time, I've been trying to get my head together and figure out what the hell is going on, and how I'm going to manage not to die young." She looks up again. "Did you know that most vampires don't make it to ten years? The cruel joke of our immortality is that chances are our lives will actually be shorter than a human's"
His arms tighten around her at the mention of her watching the sunrise, fingers curling slightly.
"I...didn't know that."
She closes her eyes as he hugs her, and nods. "Do you know anything about vampire clans?"
"No...not really. I don't know much about your society, beyond the Sakima and a little about Esme's role in dealing with places." He shakes his head, resting his forehead against the side of her head, the rustle of his Mantle audible for a moment.
"They're a little bit like... like Seemings," she says with a slight shrug, remaining comfortably close. "But in our case, they're lineages. I share one with the Sakima. All of them tend toward some specific abilities, and come with some specific drawbacks. Ours is that we severely creep out humans. It manifests in different ways for all of us. You've seen the Sakima's appearance. Some of us are even more monstrous. Like hollow pits for eyes, but somehow they can still see. Or their shadows don't match their movements. A lot of us find it all but impossible to interact normally with humanity. I'm luckier in that regard, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of people will still leave when I show up at the club tomorrow night." She was always outgoing, so it's probably understandable that's hard for her.
"I understand what you're talking about, heh. But...you deserve the night out still, and the friend I'm bringing to the club with me is also Lost and won't be creeped out. You're not allowed to tell them about the first time I gave a talk at the Wild West Hackin' Fest, though. That story is one that Lux doesn't get to hear, ever. But even if everyone else leaves, we'll have ourselves a good time. Okay?"
"So... I shouldn't send them the video?" Alex asks with a wicked grin, which she lifts her head up from resting against him to flash. "I still have that, you know."
"You...do? Please don't, yeah. That would be really unkind of you." But he laughs, when he sees that grin emerge.
"How much is your secret worth to you?" Alex continues to tease, in a way that is absolutely blatantly obviously teasing. "I look forward to meeting your friend. Or..." then she gives him a sly look. "More than friend? I'll be nice, either way."
"Lux is someone who I enjoy spending time with very much." He doesn't bother to hide the warm glow that overtakes his face, though.
"Mmhmm," Alex says, and it's a very meaningful mmhmm. "Good for you. I'm glad for that. I'd be happy to meet your partner some time, too."
"I'll look forward to introducing you to both of them, and some other friends I've made, too." He thinks for a moment. "I just realized the last time you saw me, I was still Winter. I've, um, transitioned to Autumn, a few years back."
"Oh." That seems to surprise her as much as anything else he's said tonight. "I guess that's what we call character growth?" She laughs softly. "I guess that means we both get to dabble with fear a bit. It's sort of the specialty of my clan, as well."
He tilts his head to one side slightly. "I'm curious, and want to know more, but only if you're comfortable comparing notes."
"It's definitely not my talent," Alex admits with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "At this point not much is. I can show you a little if you're curious, though."
He thinks about that for a moment. "Might be rough on the Clarity. I know that something like that can shock the system, so to speak."
"Then let's not," Alex says with a nod. "I don't want to do anything that might screw with your head more than just momentarily and superficially."
He nods a little. "At some point, it might be interesting, but not without me being braced for it and maybe possibly having a Spring on hand as support if it did catch me in the headspace."
"Mostly, I can take the sort of aura of creepiness I have all the time, and turn it up to 11," Alex explains, using words instead of demonstration. "It dials it up to a level that makes it work on vampires as well, and lets me make minor, seconds-long illusions. Like making it look like the food someone is about to put in their mouth is rotting, things like that. Only creepy, nasty things, too, which takes most of the potential fun out of it for me."
Mearc tilts his head to one side. "Do I need to give you Autumning lessons? I kept the cops from coming to bust up the protest, with a healthy dose of fear."
"I'm not Autumn, Mearc," Alex says with a laugh. "I'm also not saying it isn't useful, it's just not fun, for me. I can see the applicability, I just don't want to be feared. That's never been who I am."
"No, you've always been a social beast, the life of the party. Which is something I'm not, and I don't know how to be useful in reassuring you about."
"Honestly." With a soft sigh, Alex leans her head on Mearc's shoulder. "You've been extremely reassuring, all around. Knowing that people who knew me before might be able to accept me helps more than I can say. Having a friend who isn't a vampire helps a lot, too. There's a lot about me that you've always gotten, in ways a lot of people don't, so rekindling this friendship is really important to me."
He relaxes, and leans in to brush his lips gently on the top of her head. "I will be here for you, Alex. It means more than I can articulate, that you're ali-...still around. And I hope that this existence is one where you can find meaning for yourself."
"Alive enough," Alex says. "I just need to find my place. Find a way to get on my own feet. I'm sure I will. Esme is sweet, but I don't want to be living off her support any longer than I need to. Ultimately, a lot of what I was trying to do with my life before isn't really that different, I suppose. Just more complicated."
"Yeah. But once you do find your footing? Those other vamps aren't going to know what hit them. You're smart, you're clever, and you've got an understanding of modern nights that I don't think most of them will ever get."
"You know what scares me in thinking about that?"
"I have a guess, but I'd rather you tell me than answering and being wrong, in this case."
"The thought that the day will probably come when I'll stop being able keep up, and be one of the old farts who has no idea how to deal with the modern world," Alex says as she makes a face. "It sounds awful."
He nods. "Perhaps the key is to stay in touch with people who are up to date, to not lose connections with people, if possible."
"Yeah. I worry about that too, since time is likely to make my ability to interact with people and not creep them out diminish." Then she shrugs and adds, "but I guess that doesn't happen over the internet."
"That is true. And hopefully whatever follows the internet in the far-off future will be the same."
"You mean The Matrix?"
He inclines his head. "That's one possibility."
"I wonder if Star Fleet would allow vampires to serve," Alex muses like it's a potentially serious question.
Mearc thinks for a moment. "In space, would sunlight not be an issue? Would the light of other stars have an effect on you all, or is it a quality intrinsic to the metaphysical nature of Sol?"
"I honestly don't know, but now I'm curious." Alex sits up, lifting her head from Mearc's shoulder, like this requires Serious Thinking that can't be done while in that posture. "How would we even run an experiment for this? I mean, starlight doesn't hurt me. Or it does so in such small amounts that I can't even tell. Hmm."
"I'd say vampire astronauts, or perhaps...the Hedge? Oh, that sounds like an awful idea. Worst one ever. Okay, maybe we go backwards--sun lamps, like for reptiles or people with seasonal affective issues. Do those hurt you?"
Alex turns and gives Mearc a look. Like. "Do you actually expect me to have at some point in the last few months laid down under a reptile lamp, to be able to answer that?" But she smiles.
He shrugs. "Right, so I suppose either that or maybe a tanning bed might be a starting point."
"I'm sure we can find a tanning salon that's open still after dark," Alex suggests. "Although maybe starting with something small is a good idea. Like one of the reptile lights. Sunlight hurts a lot. Like getting hit with an iron crowbar levels of hurting."
"Ah." He nods. "Alright, I'll order one of the seasonal affective lights off Amazon, next time I'm shopping there."
"Just make sure it's not a knockoff sort, where it's really just a white panel and some light bulbs," Alex suggests. "A lot of the ones that you find aren't really what they claim to be, which could throw off our tests."
"True. Very true. I'll look up recommendations from doctors who prescribe such things." He stifles a grin. "This'll be fun, poking around to figure out how to even think about these things."
"I mean, we need to know if I could safely serve in Star Fleet," Alex says with a matter of fact tone and a shrug, like this just a thing they have to do now. She is exactly that kind of nerd. "I do suspect that this is probably ground that others have tread before me, but I suppose that blind repeatability is important when it comes to scientific data."
"Actually, I think the question isn't 'if', it might be 'what accomodations will be needed when you do'." He chuckles.
"True, it is Star Fleet," Alex says with a serious nod. Then she offers a smile and says, "this has been really good for me, thank you. I should probably get going, though. Let me know where to meet you tomorrow night, though?"
"The place is called The Succubus Club. It's owned by a Lethia? Gothest of goths, but I like her, honestly."
"The... really?" Alex asks with a smile. "Is this a goth club? I might have to go shopping."
"It probably is. Lux helped me pick out what I'll be wearing. Warning, it's not my usual...though. I had some requirements of the outfit. Like enough pockets." He gestures at his cargo pants.
"Have to make sure you can carry around your super glue and Universal Keyring," Alex answers with a solemn not, though she herself does not wear cargo pants. She leans in to give him another hug. "It was good to see you."
He squeezes her tight as he can. "And you. Please keep in touch?"
"I mean I'm going to see you tomorrow, I think that counts," Alex says. "But yes. We'll stay in touch. If I stop responding to your messages again, you should worry, and probably contact Esme."
"I will, definitely. Show up at the Hale Building, break in and ask her what's up."
Before she stands up Alex reaches out, takes Mearc's hand, and gives it a gentle squeeze. Then she stands and starts moving for the door, not in any great hurry. "Enjoy the rest of your night, and sweet dreams," she says.
He walks her to the door like a gentlebeing. "Have a good night."
"Thanks. Time to see how much code I can write before I turn into a pumpkin," Alex says as she departs. "Byeee."
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