[PRP] Nighthawks (Tevini + Kwelin)

[Yamashii]

my time of day

 

[Yamashii]

It was getting late in the night but there were still a few hours before the sun would rise. Kwelin had spent the evening at one of NHC's libraries to study law once again before deciding he needed to get some fuel in his stomach. It was probably good to stretch his legs as well since he'd been sitting here a long time without needing to get up. The blueblood packed up his books, scooped Pawpa into his briefcase and started out the door onto a quiet street.

There was a diner nearby that served a decent sub sandwich. He decided to go there as the food was decent without being too expensive. Highbloods didn't stay rich by blowing money all the time. The door jingled behind him as he entered and closed it. There weren't many people inside at this hour.

"I'll take a pulled pork sandwich. Thank you." He placed a couple of beetles down on the counter to pay for it. Now to find his usual place to sit. He turned towards it.

There was a redblooded girl in it. How unfortunate. Kwelin stood there, staring at her, unsure of how to proceed. He wanted his spot because it was positioned perfectly to watch people walking by outside the windows while also staying away from the door because of the annoyingly loud bell attached to it.

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

With papers spread across the table, the redblood didn't notice she was being watched until a good 30 seconds passed. Engrossed in her work, the girl was still sketching and calculating improvements to her design. The past few nights here at NHC had given her some new ideas, inspired her! The architecture was so different and the devices trolls used as well! It made her curious what she might find in Civisect if she were to go back during a normal night instead of only visiting during the festivals.

Though it was scary to imagine going alone.

'Maybe she'll will go with me.' Tevini mused to herself, deciding to ask Etsali later. She didn't know where they'd stay but that seemed to be the norm these days. It was nerve wracking to be a squatter every night and look for new abandoned hives but she couldn't be picky. She wasn't ready to return to Chittentown yet. She longed for her workshop though. And she wondered how Scuttle was doing without her.

"Erm, Is something wrong?" Finally she looked up and noticed a blueblood silently staring at her holding a briefcase and a sandwich, neither of which she'd ordered.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"That's my spot." Kwelin said awkwardly, his eyes scanning the mess of papers she had laid across the counter. She looked the part of a typical redblood, malnourished and scuffed up. He felt an obligation to help her somehow but he also didn't like her sitting in his chair.

"You don't have any food...?" He couldn't help but notice she lacked an entree or even an appetizer. She had only come here to work? That seemed somewhat pitiful. Kwelin took the seat next to her and placed his things down. Maybe she was more down on her luck than he had initially thought.

"Order something. I will pay." He spread a menu down over her research and held it firmly in place until she selected something. He wondered what all of these blueprints were for, unable to make much sense from the mathematical equations or lists of materials.

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"I'm sorry-I-" Tevini bit her lip at his announcement and reached to gather her things up before a menu was slapped down on top of it. Startled, she blinked at the gesture and paused. What was he doing? She'd accidentally taken his, a highblood's, spot. Why would he offer to buy her a meal after that? Was this his bribe to get rid of her?

Who cares, her empty bilesack replied.

"I'll have a soup and sandwich set. Onion cheese and the veggie delight." After some consideration, Tevini made her decision and placed an order. She was too hungry and too broke to be picky about where her next meal was coming from. If this blueblood wanted to pay for it, she'd feel bad but take it. Looking him over, he seemed decently well off. Wearing a nice suit and carrying a nice briefcase, the boy looked expensive but practical. If only more highbloods could be that way.

"Pardon my mess, I'll clean it up." She began to stack her papers and tuck things out of his way so he could put his plate down. She didn't really want him to take too close a look at her work and start asking questions too. Tevini had started trying to work in code now that she was stuck out in public places but it was hard and she wasn't sure how convincing it was. She needed to develop it more before it'd be able to fend off other engineers or decrypters.

"... are you stopping by on your way home from work?" Awkwardly she tried to make small talk after a long silence between them. Tevini wasn't good at it and cringed at the super basic question. She didn't know enough about him to know what a better question to ask would be. Socializing was something she'd left to her partner to handle for her. Out on her own like this now, she felt severely lacking.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

The troll manning the restaurant nodded and set off to work on prepping Tevini's order. In the meantime, Kwelin helped the redblood stack her papers and shifted them to the side. He did sneak a peek at the contents of them out of curiosity but couldn't make much sense from the drawings. All he could tell was she was trying to build something. What it was escaped him.

"Yes. I spend my nights studying at the library on Polka and Slyder intersection." Kwelin had found that most trolls didn't know the names of the various different libraries scattered around New Hemisect. He could tell her that he frequented the Legacy Library and sometimes made trips to the Crest Bilbiotheca but people were rarely that interested in the topic.

"I'm studying to be a lawyer eventually. For now, I handle unofficial small cases." He took a bite of his sandwich, too hungry to wait for hers to arrive. "I'm less interested in justice and more interested in truth though." There was a clear important distinction between the two concepts in his mind but he didn't take the time to explain it to Tevini. He doubted she cared.

"My name is Kwelin Tourny. I have never seen you in here before. Who are you?" He stated bluntly, not intending to challenge her right to dine at the restaurant and unaware that it could come off that way. He just wanted to explain why she had caught his interest instead of any of the other regulars that stopped by.

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"Ah, I still need to get a card for that library." Tevini mused aloud. She was still learning the different buildings around this city. She was making a point to try and find as many free resources as she could. Thinking on it, she wondered if this well organized blueblood might be able to tell her more. He seemed disciplined and orderly, two qualities that she appreciated greatly. It made sense for a troll like him to be interested in law.

"That's quite ambitious. Also an interesting distinction." The girl noted, surprised but not finding the idea unwelcome. She was a rebel out of necessity, because she'd been forced with no place to go. She hadn't joined with grand dreams of justice or overthrowing the entire hemospectrum. Those were nice dreams but not ones she thought she could help achieve. Well... maybe one day.

"I'm... Tevini. I'm new in town, I came to see what kinds of tech NHC had to offer." It was risky to use her real name, especially with a lawyer, but she got the feeling he'd hold a lie against her if he ever found out. His mention of seeking truth meant he might investigate her anyways and then she'd have made an enemy. No, it was better to be carefully honest. She'd fixed her (and Cerpin's) records in the database, they should be okay. He might prove to be a helpful resource.

"As you probably saw from my papers, I'm an inventor." Who specializes in spaceships but that part wasn't necessary information.

"I wanted to check out your shops and libraries but will admit the city's been easy to get lost in..." The redblood grumbled, looking frustrated.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"It is a large city but there is some order to it. I could show you how it's organized should you wish." Kwelin seemed to hold himself stiffer, more formally, at the idea of guiding a lowblood around. It was important to make sure they didn't get lost and wander into one of the highblood districts where less considerate highbloods might take advantage or make fools of them. Tevini so far appeared to be level headed and intelligent which was a big bonus in the blueblood's books. He wanted her to succeed at whatever this inventing thing was.

"I don't know much about inventing but I'm sure there are resources here that I could compile into a list for you. Shops, libraries, workspaces... It would not be a bother." It seemed like a bit of work but he had help these nights in the form of one extremely high energy detective struggling to find work. It would use up a lot of Philip's time and hopefully, give Kwelin an excuse to pay him a few beetles for his bills.

"Would that interest you? It would only take a few nights. We could meet here again." He couldn't tell if she had actually moved to a residence here or was simply traveling through briefly. Otherwise, he would've asked for an address to mail such a list to.

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"I would appreciate that." Tevini replied. She was impressed at how helpful this troll was offering to be. For a moment she wondered why. What was the catch? As she watched him, she wondered if perhaps they were the same. Could he be doing this because he was lonely? Now that she was on her own without her usual social link, Tevini had started to understand that she couldn't live life alone anymore. Maybe in the past she could've but she was no longer that girl.

"Yes, I'm interested. I'm willing to meet whenever is convenient for you." It wasn't like she had a busy schedule or much to do. Most of the time she'd spent here was trying to cram all of her ideas into this notebook Etsali had helped her procure. Tevini didn't ask how, she didn't care. It wasn't like she had the beetles to pay for things normally these days. Besides, she wasn't as concerned with morals and justice. Free was great.

"Is there something I can do to repay you when we next meet?" She didn't want to make any assumptions that this offer was completely free. So far his nature suggested he wouldn't ask for anything but she wanted to give him the chance. After all if she blew this exchange, there was the chance he'd drop the deal and she'd have to do all the legwork on her own. Tevini wanted to guarantee this shortcut.

"I don't have a lot of beetles but I'm good at fixing things. Or can try and do whatever favor you require as long as it's not too physical." She added, so he'd know what to expect while deciding.

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"We'll meet here again in two nights. I would love for you to fix an old typing machine for me if you have the tools for it." It was somewhat old fashioned due to being an antique but Kwelin didn't have the beetles to buy something modern thanks to his lusus's tastes and hobbies. A typewriter would have to do for now. It had broken a month ago during one of Pawpa's rodent jamborees inside his room.

"I'll bring it then. Thank you for your assistance with the matter." He nodded stiffly before returning his attention back to his sandwich. He really was hungry and they needed to hurry before the sun rose and trapped them inside the diner. He had stayed out before for similar reasons but didn't really enjoy the idea of sleeping on a booth cushion if he could help it. A small white nose popped up to sniff at the crumbs on the plate and vacuumed them up.

"It's getting late in the morning. I've got to go home but I look forward to our meeting soon." Giving Tevini short wave, he collected his things to depart. It was nice to have made a useful acquaintance like this. Hopefully they could help each other out from time to time. He left to make the walk back home, tired footsteps on the cold pavement.

Doutei

there's a fin