DX Fieldtrip: Jess & Arthur
Sep. 23rd, 2023 11:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsJess meets Arthur in the kitchen. This is lucky for Arthur, of course, and unlucky for Jessica, also of course.
The kitchen mid-morning was usually a safe place to grab an extra cup of coffee without risking conversation, but today it was occupied. At least it was someone who only confounded Jessica, rather than outright annoying her. "Oh, hey, Arthur," she said, raising a hand briefly before heading to the coffee-maker.
A someone whose entire demeanor perked up as Jessica entered the room. As if he were waiting. "Jessica!" Came in the same, bright tone Arthur had used in their previous meeting, "Just the person I was hoping to see."
He lifted up his own cup of brewed matcha and took a deep sip. "I have a problem I think only you can help solve."
Jessica, in the process of finding the coffee-maker empty, paused, her expression morphing to deep suspicion. "That seems unlikely," she said cautiously. "Lots of helpful people around this place."
"Ah! See, but no one's from here. We've got a menagerie of French people, a Timmie's full of Canadians, and even a guy from the ancient past, but what I need is a true New Yorker."
The suspicion did not abate, even as Jess unpaused and started the process of adding coffee to the coffee-maker. "Okay," she said dubiously. "I guess I am that."
This got her a bigger smile. "See! You're perfect. I need your view of The City," and he definitely leaned on the capitals there, "this afternoon."
"Today?" she asked, wracking her brain for an excuse. "I mean . . . " Was it fair, to be ambushed by Arthur when you hadn't had enough coffee already?
It wasn't.
"Today, yes! I didn't know you were secretly a telepath, Jess. You read my mind. I am sorry this is so last minute, but it isn't something I can do on my own. People are counting on us."
How had this suddenly become an 'us'? And why was she about to ask - "What exactly do I need to do, though?"
"I just need your expertise," Arthur admittedly with a shrug. He did pause, however, in consideration. "Completely unrelated, but how many feral hogs do you think you could wrestle at one time?"
Jessica, flummoxed, paused with her mouth open, hand hovering over the coffee maker's 'on' button. She finally recovered herself enough to press it, and said, "I honestly don't know how to answer that question."
"True. I suppose it depends on exactly how big and how feral. What I need is your time and attention for one afternoon, and I'll drive and pay for food."
The coffeemaker started percolating. Jessica, unwisely, said, "I guess I can do that? As long as there are no literal feral hogs involved."
Somewhere, unseen and unheard, the cosmic force of balance wrote that down and chuckled softly.
Arthur, meanwhile, was absolutely delighted. "Excellent! We leave in an hour. Meet me down in the garage near the big school vans."
The kitchen mid-morning was usually a safe place to grab an extra cup of coffee without risking conversation, but today it was occupied. At least it was someone who only confounded Jessica, rather than outright annoying her. "Oh, hey, Arthur," she said, raising a hand briefly before heading to the coffee-maker.
A someone whose entire demeanor perked up as Jessica entered the room. As if he were waiting. "Jessica!" Came in the same, bright tone Arthur had used in their previous meeting, "Just the person I was hoping to see."
He lifted up his own cup of brewed matcha and took a deep sip. "I have a problem I think only you can help solve."
Jessica, in the process of finding the coffee-maker empty, paused, her expression morphing to deep suspicion. "That seems unlikely," she said cautiously. "Lots of helpful people around this place."
"Ah! See, but no one's from here. We've got a menagerie of French people, a Timmie's full of Canadians, and even a guy from the ancient past, but what I need is a true New Yorker."
The suspicion did not abate, even as Jess unpaused and started the process of adding coffee to the coffee-maker. "Okay," she said dubiously. "I guess I am that."
This got her a bigger smile. "See! You're perfect. I need your view of The City," and he definitely leaned on the capitals there, "this afternoon."
"Today?" she asked, wracking her brain for an excuse. "I mean . . . " Was it fair, to be ambushed by Arthur when you hadn't had enough coffee already?
It wasn't.
"Today, yes! I didn't know you were secretly a telepath, Jess. You read my mind. I am sorry this is so last minute, but it isn't something I can do on my own. People are counting on us."
How had this suddenly become an 'us'? And why was she about to ask - "What exactly do I need to do, though?"
"I just need your expertise," Arthur admittedly with a shrug. He did pause, however, in consideration. "Completely unrelated, but how many feral hogs do you think you could wrestle at one time?"
Jessica, flummoxed, paused with her mouth open, hand hovering over the coffee maker's 'on' button. She finally recovered herself enough to press it, and said, "I honestly don't know how to answer that question."
"True. I suppose it depends on exactly how big and how feral. What I need is your time and attention for one afternoon, and I'll drive and pay for food."
The coffeemaker started percolating. Jessica, unwisely, said, "I guess I can do that? As long as there are no literal feral hogs involved."
Somewhere, unseen and unheard, the cosmic force of balance wrote that down and chuckled softly.
Arthur, meanwhile, was absolutely delighted. "Excellent! We leave in an hour. Meet me down in the garage near the big school vans."
