multiversallogs | pour myself a cup of ambition

Mina was grateful that the offices were open late. After all, she couldn't very well climb the stairs of the inn during noontime when the sun was streaming in through all the windows. God, that was definitely the most inconvenient thing about being a vampire. She could handle the feeding situation well enough (that's what Dominate was for) but the sunlight...that she really missed.

She made her way into the office, dressed sharp in her pin-striped suit, fedora hiding her hair. She had no idea how well respected a lady doctor might be in this world, so she was prepared for all contingencies. She just really didn't want to have to Dominate anyone.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Come in and have a seat," he says with a smile and an earflick. "I'm Akalamdug, Akal for short. Do you take tea?"

If not he won't be offended, it's more to help break the ice than anything else. Humans aren't usually bothered by the fact that he's nearly always sipping on a mug of something or other.

It was far too easy for Mina to overlook the ears. After the recent Fae infestation of Chicago, she was accustomed to seeing strange appendages. What really caught her off guard was the offer for tea. It had been such a long time since someone had offered her tea and, like any proud Englishman, she immediately wanted to accept the offer. But, of course, that wasn't viable, so she merely shook her head, taking a seat.

"I'm told that this is an office for employment?" she asked, bridging her fingers in front of her chest. It was an old pirate's trick she had learned. It allowed her to show off her rings, as if to indicate some higher status. She didn't know why she was immediately going into power play mode. She supposed it had something to do with her unanticipated appointment to the primogenship back in Chicago. Mina would have to remind herself that not everyone was playing that game.

"It is. Sort of. I don't give out jobs, but I can help you find work in your field. Which means that the best way for me to get a feel for what you're suited for is if you tell me what you've done, what you've liked, and I'll see what I can set you up with." He pulls out a clipboard to better scribble down notes and settles into his chair.

Well, he was certainly straightforward. She liked that. Almost like a Seneschal. God, she needed to find more Kindred in this city. She couldn't be the only one. She just couldn't be.

"Well," she said, eying the clipboard, "my name is Mina Barrett," best to go with her most recent incarnation. Perhaps her status from the city of Chicago would somehow carry over. "I was a doctor at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago." She paused. "You probably don't know what Chicago is, but that hardly matters."

"Pizza. Deep dish, right? There's expats in Echomire that have a shop called Chicago Pizza and it's pretty good." They've had to adjust their recipe a bit, but the basic idea is still the same and Akal remembers enjoying it when he went there for his thrice-cousin's birthday.

"A doctor? That's great. We always need those. What d'you specialize in?"

Mina wasn't entirely sure what pizza was, but it sounded Italian and so she wasn't terribly surprised. Or interested.

"Yes, I am a doctor," she said, a bit surprised that he hadn't immediately assumed she was a nurse. That's what she generally got when she announced that she worked in the hospital. She was, after all, a woman, in spite of her suit. "I specialize in emergency care, but I did most of my research in blood diseases."

Briefly, she wondered how to explain her political experience without using the words 'primogen' or 'vampire.' "I've also served on several administrative boards," she decided, feeling that was the most appropriate approximation to her experience.

"Blood diseases?" There is a brief pause, Akal has to process. "Oh yes, haematology? I am sure we could find a lab somewhere, though perhaps emergency care would be more appropriate. Oh, and administration too! If you are half decent with paperwork the infirmaries will fight over you."

He smiles. It's mostly indulgent. Then he hmms, focusing on his own paperwork to make some shorthand notes. "How would you describe your experience with emergency care?"

All sorts do after all show up in Baedal, and Akal never even got into the habit of trying to guess eras and experience on appearance alone.

She had to fight to suppress a smirk. Mina could still distinctly remember kneeling on a grassy knoll, beside the Hudson, with nothing but a branding iron and an old, rusty saw. A soldier had been shot in the leg and she had to amputate it. Not only had she managed to cleanly severe the limb, but she had staved off infection. The man had never quite recovered, but he had survived into his sixties, which was impressive back in 1778.

And that had been before she had syringes and ether!

"I've done a lot of, what we in the field call meatball surgery. It's quick, efficient, not very pretty, but highly successful. I can set bones, remove bullets, patch wounds, amputate limbs, if I must, and clean out infection. I've worked both with and without ether." She paused, giving the creature a bit of a conspiratory look. "I highly recommend using the ether."

Akalamdug is ignorant of such practices and can afford the gentle encouraging smile that graces his face. He even returns the look, leaning forward ever so slightly to aid the conspiratorial air. "Sounds very wise."

"Field surgery aha, perhaps we can find you an on-call medic position with one of the guilds? Could be a temporary thing. We'd find you an established doctor to provide some mentoring, just until you get the feel for medicine in the city of course."

Well, that was somewhat promising, at least. "Yes, I did start out with field surgery. And if there's an opening there, it would be most suitable, I think."

She paused. The next part would be difficult to put delicately. "Although, I would prefer to work evening shifts. I'm afraid I'm not much of a daytime worker. I can't focus. The sunlight tends to be...distracting." And fatal, but that was another story.

"If nothing is available of that nature, I'm sure I can fit in with any other evening shift positions. I'm very versatile and I learn quickly."

Notes, they are being scribbled on the clipboard. Alkal is good at note-scribbling. He doesn't even have to watch what he's writing, opting instead to smile gently at his visitor.

"Evening shifts, I see. That does limit us a little bit but I am sure something could be arranged," ever the optimist here clearly, not one ear-flick out of place. "Should I surmise that you're entirely nocturnal?"

An awkward question, to say the least. Mina had never quite been asked that before, she was just generally accustomed to people accepting it. Or else Dominating them to accept it. Somehow, she didn't think that Dominate would necessarily work on the creature, whatever he was. It certainly hadn't worked on the fae.

Unsure of what else to do, she nodded. "I suppose you might say that."

Suddenly, she had the sinking sensation that she had a neon sign on her back that was blinking the phrase 'Masquerade Breach' in bright colors. But then again, she had seen no evidence yet of a Masquerade. Or of other Kindred. So maybe it wouldn't matter? Maybe he'd just think of her as quirky. She could deal with quirky. She was quirky.

If there is such a sign, Akal does not seem to notice; nor does he appear perturbed by any implications attached to a nocturnal lifestyle. It's a big multivese, one has to keep an open mind.

"Very good, I have made a note of it. Here's what we'll do; I will give you the name and public address of the medical officer of the builder's guild, as well as an envelope with my stamp on it containing some of what we discussed here. Just to make it official." ... yes, he's always this reassuring.

He rummages around, picking out an address card from a stack of many; folding the foremost paper on his clipboard and introducing it to an envelope. Very neat, all said. "There we go. Do you have any questions for me before I wish you good luck?"

Mina took the card, a bit unnerved by his laid-back attitude. It was something she would have to investigate further. Were nocturnal humans quite natural here? It seemed hard to believe. Mina had traveled far and, as far as she could see, humans were humans were humans. Just like water was water was water and insulin was insulin was insulin.

"I must admit, I should like a proper education about finances here. I have no idea what your currency is, nor how much most things are worth." She leaned back, crossing her legs. "In Chicago, a good apartment rents for about one hundred dollars a month. What would a good apartment run here? For that matter," she frowned, "where does one find a good apartment? And what would be a bad neighborhood?"

"Ah, well," he doesn't need to consult any papers for this and it does sound like he knows the facts by heart. "We're on the copper standard here - and the currency is called flags, shekels and marks. You need twelve flags for a shekel and twelve shekels for a mark. As for the value of money, current official recommendation are that the average individual will need about 800 shekels per month to live comfortably. That would include rent and food, but nothing very extravagant."

Now that he's no longer making notes on the clipboard he puts it aside. "Have you had the opportunity to look around the city yet? The area we are in now is called Mog Hill, very affordable, mostly good families." And, you know, a little poor, but Akal has no judgements about that. "I would hesitate to call any neighbourhood bad, but I would still shy away from Bonetown, and the Spatters of course. Maybe I could find you a map here somewhere..?"

Mina nodded, listening attentively. She supposed it wasn't the most complicated system she had ever encountered. Still, terms like shekels and marks were bound to lead her to some confusion, she well knew, as they applied to the world from which she arrived. "I would certainly appreciate a map," she replied. "I'm actually quite fond of travel. I've never been known to stay in the same place for too long, and so, consequently, I rather enjoy the challenge of getting to know new cities."

Actually, the more she thought about it, she realized that she had never really stayed anywhere longer than twenty five years. Other than Chicago, of course. But twenty six years was not a significant difference. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Regardless, it was a thing to be considered another time.

"If I may ask, what is it that makes one want to shy away from Bonetown and the Spatters? The names are, of course, foreboding, but that would be a bit akin to judging a book by its cover, I think."

"Of course," he replies, already sorting through his papers to locate a copy. They really should start including maps with the pamphlets but of course good ideas rarely hold any sway with management.

"I imagine so! I have myself never left the city, but so many new things and people come here that it is almost like travelling." He can't possibly know that, probably just making words for the sake of words. "Here you go, one map (http://multiversal.wikkii.com/wiki/City_Map) of the city. The streets have not been named on it, but it should give you some idea."

"Bonetown - that would be personal preference of course, but they say it's haunted." He's perfectly serious. "And Spatters, well it's not for our kind of people."

... he's including Mina in that statement. He means proud upstanding citizens, not pointy eared office workers or the nocturnal specifically.

Eyebrow raised, Mina accepted the map. This individual seemed entirely too cheerful at the moment. Mina had not communist inclinations, of course, but several dear friends were constantly raging on and on about brainwashing and such and she began to wonder about this man's dialogue. Were these just lines he was supposed to feed her?

Mina glanced down at the map. "Haunted?" she repeated. "And so close to Mog Hill? I'm surprised whatever is haunting Bonetown hasn't leaked over just yet." She wondered, what, exactly, haunted meant to these people. There were so many scary creatures that roamed about at night that most humans were unaware of.

She turned to look up. "Well, I'll certainly keep that in mind."

Well he is a government employee, and it would probably be much stranger if he wasn't pushing an agenda. Still, he does put on a reassuring face. "Well it's... you'll know it when you see it. Nothing is said to work under the shadow of the ribs."

pour myself a cup of ambition :: OPEN

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