793.8.025.110.393 - Coffee Talk
Mar. 28th, 2020 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsDrumm and Wong meet with Doug, Marie-Ange, Amanda, and Topaz and ask for their help getting the London Sanctum back to normal. Well, they want Amanda and Topaz to help, anyway, Wong is a cranky git.
"So, let me get this straight," Amanda began, leaning back in her chair. "You want me and Topaz to come with you to the London Sanctum because your library has locked you out?"
They were in a coffee shop not far from the Sanctum's location - to avoid the library 'overhearing' their meeting, Drumm had said - and between the eight hour flight and her usual irritation with the Ancient One and his lackeys, Amanda wasn't exactly in the best mood. "Why don't you just get a locksmith?" It wasn't a serious suggestion, but she didn't want to make this easy for him.
Daniel Drumm looked as unfazed as ever, even with the ongoing circumstances, and even with Amanda's attitude. "Something's different about you," he said, as he stirred milk into his coffee. "Your hair, maybe."
His coffee adequately prepared, he looked up at them, his expression placid as usual, ready to conduct business, as it were. "If you know any locksmiths that specialize in magic-intensive libraries and protections — and possibly spirits, which I personally have ruled out, though others aren't as convinced — we're happy to take a referral."
Topaz rolled her eyes, not really doing anything to hide her expression behind the tea she was currently sipping. Maybe there was a store nearby to get something a little more caffeinated. "And you think we can help because....?" She drew out the last word, already knowing the answer. "Oh, right, Amanda can sweet-talk London. Lucky we just happened to be in the area." Luck didn't have a damn thing to do with it and she knew it. She looked at Amanda out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge her reaction to all this. They were going to help - they didn't seem to have a choice. And it killed Topaz to admit it, but a magic library was exactly the kind of thing she would love to see, and she wasn't going to bail on her teacher. So she bit down a comment about being an unnecessary hang on and just took another sip of tea.
Amanda returned the look with a very slight shrug. "Too bad Brexit's messing with my connection," she said blandly. "It might take a bit of doing to get anywhere." She reached for her own tea. "Anything happen lately that might have upset your library?"
"Perhaps cracked book spines and late fees?" Marie-Ange added. "Potions spilled on rare scrolls? General lack of respect for the needs of others?" She angled her mug of tea in Topaz' direction. "You run a library, what causes you to lock people out? Besides fire and defenestration of demons, I am going to presume we would have heard about it if the London Sanctum's library had demons."
Doug looked over at Wong, who had not said a thing yet, and whose body language looked like he would rather chew off his own arm than admit to needing help. Doug raised one eyebrow that spoke volumes worth of enjoyment at the other man's discomfort. They certainly hadn't gotten off on a good footing the last time, and Doug was just the sort to enjoy watching someone who had been a jerk to him squirm. "And why are you so sure we're the ones who can do the job?"
Wong's jaw was set as his eyes swiveled to Doug. "I don't think you can do much of anything," he said pointedly. "You and Ms. Colbert are unwanted guests at best. However we assume Ms. Sefton won't assist us without her little gaggle of cohorts and assistant. As we have exhausted all our resources, it only makes sense to turn to more... unique sources of magic who see things in a way we perhaps are incapable of."
"Gee," Topaz hissed half into her tea. "I wonder why it doesn't want to let you in."
Any number of threats went un-uttered, though Marie-Ange's fingers tightened on the handle of her mug. She would not be petty and tell Wong he had bad manners and an ugly face. It would not help. But she could acknowledge - quietly, in her head, that she wanted to. "My apologies for assuming any of your number might borrow valuables and not return them. I allowed that first bad impression to color my words." She smiled tightly. "Perhaps we could do with more information about this library problem? When did these issues begin? How long has it been restricting access?"
"Oh, let's see..." Throughout the tense exchange, Daniel Drumm had maintained his air of civility. "We've been unable to enter for the last 16 days?" He looked at Wong for confirmation. "Maybe 17." He shrugged. "But the problems began much earlier — perhaps two or three months ago. I can't recall the exact date, because things seemed odd in a more mundane way at first. Time would pass in a strange way, but that isn't the kind of thing that would be super out of the ordinary in somewhere with so much magic."
Drumm closed his eyes as he ran his fingers around the lip of his mug. "But then, you know, the library gradually started being more and more uncooperative." It wasn't a euphemism. You'd be looking for one book, and you'd get something else. And it would be a profound difference. On the level of, say, looking for James Joyce and ending up with Paddington." He opened his eyes, his expression now a bit grave. It was a subtle change, but a marked contrast from Drumm's usual demeanor. "Both of whom are on the brain, since they both showed up in the library as apparitions."
Amanda's eyebrows rose. Fictional characters appearing in the flesh? That sounded sort of familiar. "You haven't gotten SHIELD to do your security at all?" she joked, thinking of the incident with the Danger Room in December. "No, don't answer that, I know you haven't. But it does sound like you've got some kind of dimensional issue bollocksing things up, what with the time and space stuff."
~I will not make jokes about things being wibbly-wobbly OR timey-wimey.~ Doug privately thought his admirable restraint should be acknowledged, much like Marie-Ange's (he hadn't missed the hands wringing her mug like she'd wanted to do to Wong's neck, after all). "So, let's say we agree to help you with this, because we're nice like that. Then what?"
"Then you get the satisfaction of walking away knowing you did a good thing." Wong's tone made it clear that was the only answer he was going to give. "Now if we're done wasting time with idle chit-chat, we would like to see this fixed sooner rather than later." Underneath the haughty, condescending tone was a note of true worry. The library being out of sorts wasn't good for anyone involved.
"You'll excuse Wong," Drumm said, a weary note to his voice. "We're all a bit out of sorts right now." One might not know it from looking at him; Daniel Drumm's expression was as even as ever.
"I think we all know," he said, looking from Amanda to Topaz, "that this the kind of magic problem you'd get quite a bit of satisfaction from being able to solve. And who knows what knowledge that people as magic-sensitive might acquire in that time." He shrugged, turning his focus to Amanda. "Even those as practiced in their abilities as you might learn a thing or two."
Amanda's eyes narrowed slightly at the insult implied in Drumm's oh-so-polite phrasing, but she let it go. "How about a favour for a favour?" she suggested. "We help you out, and sometime down the line, you lot can help us out. Sound fair?"
He played dirty, Topaz thought grimly as she finished her tea.
Wong looked the group over for a moment, his face impassive. He didn't want to play this game with them, but they were out of options. "I suppose something to repay you for your help can be arranged in the future if need be," he said. Left unsaid: And knowing all of you, it'll be sooner rather than later.
Marie-Ange's smile was much too satisfied for someone who had left a perfectly unsatisfactory croissant uneaten, save the first bite. "And then you get the satisfaction of knowing you have assisted your... how did you put it, unwanted guests? Amanda's cohorts and assistants?" She set down her tea. "I think you can go so far as to cover any material expenses, yes? Does your library have wifi?" She could only imagine what might happen if it did not have a robust cataloguing system. Topaz would do a murder.
"So, let me get this straight," Amanda began, leaning back in her chair. "You want me and Topaz to come with you to the London Sanctum because your library has locked you out?"
They were in a coffee shop not far from the Sanctum's location - to avoid the library 'overhearing' their meeting, Drumm had said - and between the eight hour flight and her usual irritation with the Ancient One and his lackeys, Amanda wasn't exactly in the best mood. "Why don't you just get a locksmith?" It wasn't a serious suggestion, but she didn't want to make this easy for him.
Daniel Drumm looked as unfazed as ever, even with the ongoing circumstances, and even with Amanda's attitude. "Something's different about you," he said, as he stirred milk into his coffee. "Your hair, maybe."
His coffee adequately prepared, he looked up at them, his expression placid as usual, ready to conduct business, as it were. "If you know any locksmiths that specialize in magic-intensive libraries and protections — and possibly spirits, which I personally have ruled out, though others aren't as convinced — we're happy to take a referral."
Topaz rolled her eyes, not really doing anything to hide her expression behind the tea she was currently sipping. Maybe there was a store nearby to get something a little more caffeinated. "And you think we can help because....?" She drew out the last word, already knowing the answer. "Oh, right, Amanda can sweet-talk London. Lucky we just happened to be in the area." Luck didn't have a damn thing to do with it and she knew it. She looked at Amanda out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge her reaction to all this. They were going to help - they didn't seem to have a choice. And it killed Topaz to admit it, but a magic library was exactly the kind of thing she would love to see, and she wasn't going to bail on her teacher. So she bit down a comment about being an unnecessary hang on and just took another sip of tea.
Amanda returned the look with a very slight shrug. "Too bad Brexit's messing with my connection," she said blandly. "It might take a bit of doing to get anywhere." She reached for her own tea. "Anything happen lately that might have upset your library?"
"Perhaps cracked book spines and late fees?" Marie-Ange added. "Potions spilled on rare scrolls? General lack of respect for the needs of others?" She angled her mug of tea in Topaz' direction. "You run a library, what causes you to lock people out? Besides fire and defenestration of demons, I am going to presume we would have heard about it if the London Sanctum's library had demons."
Doug looked over at Wong, who had not said a thing yet, and whose body language looked like he would rather chew off his own arm than admit to needing help. Doug raised one eyebrow that spoke volumes worth of enjoyment at the other man's discomfort. They certainly hadn't gotten off on a good footing the last time, and Doug was just the sort to enjoy watching someone who had been a jerk to him squirm. "And why are you so sure we're the ones who can do the job?"
Wong's jaw was set as his eyes swiveled to Doug. "I don't think you can do much of anything," he said pointedly. "You and Ms. Colbert are unwanted guests at best. However we assume Ms. Sefton won't assist us without her little gaggle of cohorts and assistant. As we have exhausted all our resources, it only makes sense to turn to more... unique sources of magic who see things in a way we perhaps are incapable of."
"Gee," Topaz hissed half into her tea. "I wonder why it doesn't want to let you in."
Any number of threats went un-uttered, though Marie-Ange's fingers tightened on the handle of her mug. She would not be petty and tell Wong he had bad manners and an ugly face. It would not help. But she could acknowledge - quietly, in her head, that she wanted to. "My apologies for assuming any of your number might borrow valuables and not return them. I allowed that first bad impression to color my words." She smiled tightly. "Perhaps we could do with more information about this library problem? When did these issues begin? How long has it been restricting access?"
"Oh, let's see..." Throughout the tense exchange, Daniel Drumm had maintained his air of civility. "We've been unable to enter for the last 16 days?" He looked at Wong for confirmation. "Maybe 17." He shrugged. "But the problems began much earlier — perhaps two or three months ago. I can't recall the exact date, because things seemed odd in a more mundane way at first. Time would pass in a strange way, but that isn't the kind of thing that would be super out of the ordinary in somewhere with so much magic."
Drumm closed his eyes as he ran his fingers around the lip of his mug. "But then, you know, the library gradually started being more and more uncooperative." It wasn't a euphemism. You'd be looking for one book, and you'd get something else. And it would be a profound difference. On the level of, say, looking for James Joyce and ending up with Paddington." He opened his eyes, his expression now a bit grave. It was a subtle change, but a marked contrast from Drumm's usual demeanor. "Both of whom are on the brain, since they both showed up in the library as apparitions."
Amanda's eyebrows rose. Fictional characters appearing in the flesh? That sounded sort of familiar. "You haven't gotten SHIELD to do your security at all?" she joked, thinking of the incident with the Danger Room in December. "No, don't answer that, I know you haven't. But it does sound like you've got some kind of dimensional issue bollocksing things up, what with the time and space stuff."
~I will not make jokes about things being wibbly-wobbly OR timey-wimey.~ Doug privately thought his admirable restraint should be acknowledged, much like Marie-Ange's (he hadn't missed the hands wringing her mug like she'd wanted to do to Wong's neck, after all). "So, let's say we agree to help you with this, because we're nice like that. Then what?"
"Then you get the satisfaction of walking away knowing you did a good thing." Wong's tone made it clear that was the only answer he was going to give. "Now if we're done wasting time with idle chit-chat, we would like to see this fixed sooner rather than later." Underneath the haughty, condescending tone was a note of true worry. The library being out of sorts wasn't good for anyone involved.
"You'll excuse Wong," Drumm said, a weary note to his voice. "We're all a bit out of sorts right now." One might not know it from looking at him; Daniel Drumm's expression was as even as ever.
"I think we all know," he said, looking from Amanda to Topaz, "that this the kind of magic problem you'd get quite a bit of satisfaction from being able to solve. And who knows what knowledge that people as magic-sensitive might acquire in that time." He shrugged, turning his focus to Amanda. "Even those as practiced in their abilities as you might learn a thing or two."
Amanda's eyes narrowed slightly at the insult implied in Drumm's oh-so-polite phrasing, but she let it go. "How about a favour for a favour?" she suggested. "We help you out, and sometime down the line, you lot can help us out. Sound fair?"
He played dirty, Topaz thought grimly as she finished her tea.
Wong looked the group over for a moment, his face impassive. He didn't want to play this game with them, but they were out of options. "I suppose something to repay you for your help can be arranged in the future if need be," he said. Left unsaid: And knowing all of you, it'll be sooner rather than later.
Marie-Ange's smile was much too satisfied for someone who had left a perfectly unsatisfactory croissant uneaten, save the first bite. "And then you get the satisfaction of knowing you have assisted your... how did you put it, unwanted guests? Amanda's cohorts and assistants?" She set down her tea. "I think you can go so far as to cover any material expenses, yes? Does your library have wifi?" She could only imagine what might happen if it did not have a robust cataloguing system. Topaz would do a murder.
