Roleplaying
2004 Archive
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Seminars
| When: | 19 October 2004 |
| Who: | Elizabeth, Megumi, Melissa, Remy, Sarah |
| What: | Elizabeth chats with Melissa at a cafe, Remy and Sarah join in, as does a curious Megumi. |
The Drag - Austin
The Drag is one of the busiest places in the entirety of Austin, spanning many blocks, primarily on the streets of 6th and Guadelupe. Shops, restaurants, and the like fill every building, and due to its close proximity to UT, they are more inclined to be the ecletic sort, or failing that, the sort that sell groceries and other sundries. In fact, UT's own student co-op can be found on the Drag. There's really no telling what they'll be selling in other cases -- the stores and restaurants offer most everything the average mind can imagine, and quite a few things it may've been a little slow to. Shady oak trees typically line the streets, and it's not uncommon for people to spend a day hanging out here, walking the length of the Drag to browse its many establishments.
Elizabeth shakes Melissa's hand with a light, dry grip. "And I'm Elizabeth," she answers. "Some undergraduates are hungry indeed; I teach up at the university myself, and I've seen them bring entire meals into the lecture hall on occasion." It's 1:30 pm, and she and Melissa are lunching at a crowded sidewalk cafe. The only available seats are at their table.
Melissa releases Elizabeth's hand after giving it a firm, gentle shake. "I admit, I never did much teaching, even in my graduate student days." She nods to the waiter who clears away the remains of her salad, favoring him with a cheerful smile before turning back to Elizabeth. "So - I know this is terribly nosy of me, but what subject do you teach?"
Elizabeth pokes at her chicken salad with a fork, nibbling at it. "Me? Oh, I teach undergraduate Economics," she says casually. "What do you do, seeing as you're evidently no longer a student yourself?" She takes a hearty forkful of the chicken salad.
"Me? I work for a biotech firm here in Austin. Grant applications at the moment, but I've done my time in the laboratory." Melissa leans forwards a bit, resting her forarms lightly on the table. "It's a fascinating time to get into the field - the potential for gain is enourmous."
Elizabeth holds up a hand, and quickly swallows. "Mmm. Sorry, had my mouth full. But oh yes, I'm quite aware of that." A predatory smile blossoms on her lips. "I've got some of my own investments in biotech. Of course, I try to keep an eye on the latest news in patent law and the like - most of the big money is in pharmaceuticals, but the FDA trials eat up so much of the patent coverage time that it's dicey nonetheless, and what with the political furor about the costs of healthcare you never know what will happen."
Remy enters the crowded cafe, peering about at the many full tables. As Destiny (or maybe Fate) would have it, the only remaining chairs seem to be near someone he knows. Still, he gestures to his companion-in-lunch for the day, and heads for the open seats, gesturing. "Hello there, Elizabeth. Are these seats available?"
Melissa smiles apologetically as she interrupts Elizabeth's meal. Before she can reply to Elizabeth's comments, Remy approaches the table. She glances over at him and then waves a hand at one of the free seats. "They are available." She turns to Elizabeth with a teasing smile. "So who is this polite gentleman?"
Megumi steps out of the cafe and onto the sidewalk proper. She is carrying a tray and balancing it carefully. On her tray are several food items, including a Lays Potato Chip bag, a hot chocolate (topped with oa sealed cup except for a little hole which a teeny tiny red straw is poked through), a ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, and finally a brownie. She sees Remy take a chair. She heads for a nearby chair, weaving through the crowd, bumping into a few people unapologetically until she gets to her seat and table, places down her tray, and gives it a good long look. She flicks a bit of crumbs left over from the previous visitor with a finger distastefully.
And Remy's companion just happens to be...
...Sarah! The brunette, her hands occupied with a tray of food of her own, smiles in lieu of a wave. "Afternoon, Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth waves a hand vaguely between Remy and Melissa and says, "Remy, allow me to introduce Melissa--" She looks up, startled, and says, "Sarah! What a pleasant surprise. Are you with Remy today?" She looks back at Melissa apologetically and explains, "It seems that a couple of my colleagues at the University have chosen to grace us with their presence."
Melissa smiles cheerily at the new arrivals, scooting her chair over a bit to make room for the new arrivals. "Well, it's always nice to meet new people, particularly in the academic field. At least you can be assured of intelligent conversation, hmm?"
"It's good to meet new people, yes. Hello, Melissa." The rail-thin librarian takes a seat, smiling a bit to the others, before glanceing over to Megumi as she sits. Remy nods slightly in greeting before looking back to the others. "So, has anything interesting happened recently?"
Megumi gets all sorts of names in one burst of explanation. She doesn't seem to pay too much attention, however as she rips open her potato chips and starts stuffing potato chips into her mouth, crunching down on them. She goes through several chips before she looks down at her table again. She stands up, and twists it.
WHEEEEEE.
And sits back down, "What subjects do you teach at the university?", she says with a small glance to the group.
Melissa briefly glances over her shoulder at the rude, ill mannered teenager. With a minute shake of her head, she simply ignores the girl, turning her attention back to the people seated around her table.
Elizabeth peers at Megumi and rather than answering directly, says coolly, "Pardon me, miss. Were you addressing us? I don't believe that I know you." She glances over to Sarah and asks, "One of yours, perhaps?"
Remy looks over to Megumi, and arches an eyebrow. "Actually, I don't teach any subjects. I work at the University as a librarian." He doesn't look particularly irritated or cold at the intrusion.
Sarah nods, claiming yet another seat as her own. It is, apparently, a large table. "Yup!" she says. Her tray has fairly standard lunch fair: a BLT and some iced tea. "I figured I'd invite him out to lunch, seeing as we haven't had a chance to talk much, recently. Didn't expect to see you here, though! Pleasant surprise! And you're Melissa? Nice to meet you." Megumi gets only a puzzled blink, though she does prompt Sarah to look at her new tablemates uncertainly, not entirely sure how to react to...well, that.
Sarah also shakes her head at Elizabeth. "I don't recognize her..."
Melissa spreads her hands slightly in response to Remy's inquiry. "Things have been fairly normal for me." She focuses on Remy for a moment. "Really? Do you have access to the stacks where they keep all the more interesting or difficult material? I used to love reading those when I had an excuse to get access to them."
Megumi looks right back at...Remy? "Oh? I just heard 'colleagues' and 'University' and assumed.", she glances back to Elizabeth, "Is there another table with University professors...", she hesitates, glances to Remy, and adds, "And Librarians, of course, that I should know about?", she looks back to her meal and begins to unwrap her sandwich, "You must have a lot of chance to read in the Library," she says, moving to a different topic fluidly, "How's the community at the University, is the Library really busy, or nice and quiet?"
Elizabeth inhales sharply, then closes her eyes and exhales slowly. She pastes on a brilliant insincere smile and explains to Megumi, "I really wouldn't know if there were another table with university professors, because I am not in the habit of interrupting the private conversations of complete strangers sitting at different tables without so much as the common courtesy of introducing myself." She turns back around to focus on her food, taking a deliberate, controlled stab at the chicken salad.
Melissa nods in agreement with Elizabeth, but doesn't waste her breath echoing the other woman's statement. Instead, she folds her hands on the table, and watches those at her table as they settle down with their food.
Sarah glances between Megumi and her own companions. Whooo boy, this could get out of hand quickly...she coughs, trying to catch some attention. "There's no need to be trite with her; she made a mistake, but that doesn't give us a reason to bite her head off." She then turns her gaze to Remy, waiting for his answer to Megumi's question. She tries not to show it, but she's ready to intercede if the questions turn...sensitive.
Lots of questions today, and multiple conversations to boot! First, Remy answers Melissa. "I do." He then looks back to Megumi, and shakes his head. "I'm not aware of any other tables with University personnel, though it is likely given the proximity. Yes, I do read a lot of books, and the community is rather busy. There are always students and professors entering the Library for various reasons, mostly involving research of some kind or another."
Megumi blinks, and looks to Elizabeth, "Huh?", she leans forward a touch, "Oh, I didn't think it was private at all, since everybody was joining in, and I thought it seemed fun, so I was like 'That's cool, these people seem interesting', but I didn't think I would get my head bitt-", she blinks, looks to Sarah, and laughs pleasantly, "Exactly. I'm glad someone can understand. I plan on taking extra classes at the University, and maybe I'll get put in one of yours," she gives a nod to Eliabeth. "It's not distracting to have all those people coming in, is it?"
Melissa blinks slowly at Remy, listening to the flow of his conversation. "You have an interesting turn of phrase, Remy." It seems allowing people to sit at her table has made things quite lively. She smiles brightly at the librarian for a moment before leaning back a bit and letting the conversation wash over her.
Elizabeth takes a sip of her lemonade, and then carefully bares her teeth at Sarah. "Don't worry, dear. I have no intention of biting /your/ head off. Besides-" She slants a sideways glance at Megumi. "The girl's not exactly my type. I'd rather sink my teeth into something meatier."
Sarah...blinks at Elizabeth. Uhm. Okay. "Well, that's reassuring!" she responds, rebounding quickly from the surprise of the rather odd statement. Then, content to let the conversation flow unimpeded for a bit, Sarah sets about laying waste to her BLT.
Remy replies to Megumi, nodding. "What classes do you plan to take?" He glances back to Melissa, meeting her eyes for a moment before replying. "Oh? What is so interesting about it?"
Megumi says, helpfully, "They have ham sandwiches inside.", a glance to Remy, "Mm...Early Shakespeare."
"You're quite... literal and distinct in your statements. It's not a manner of speech one hears often," comments Melissa, her attention mostly going to Elizabeth with a wider grin of her own, after a quick glance at Megumi. Teasingly, she inquires, "Perhaps a nice side of beef... or steak?"
Elizabeth licks her lips ostentatiously and confides to Melissa, "Some women adore cheesecake, but all else being equal I'd rather go for a nice hunk of beef. Fresh or well-aged, it's still good in the hands of a skilled chef." She chuckles and takes another nibble at her chicken salad. "What do your tastes run to, I wonder?"
Remy hums a moment. "I don't like to be ambiguous. It can cause confusion or misunderstandings." Turning his attention back to Megumi, Remy nods again. "Very well. Depending on the teacher, you may be spending some time in the Center as well. We have a large amount of Shakespeare available." He looks back to Melissa, and arches an eyebrow. "If you are looking for steak, I believe I remember that there is a restaurant down the street you may be able to get one. I haven't tried their food, however, so I cannot vouch for their quality."
Melissa chuckles softly as she idly fans herself with a hand. "Hmm.. I admit I'm partial to a well-aged chunk of prime beef. Although a little bit of cheesecake now and then doesn't sit completely amiss." She pauses, blinking at Remy, and then bursts out laughing.
Megumi shakes her head easily, "Oh no, I don't think they have -steak- sandwiches available here.", she bites into her sandwich. "Good," she adds to Remy, "Perhaps I'll see you, and we can discuss Sonnets, they are very underappreciated, you know."
Apparently, they are no longer Shunning Megumi, so Sarah shakes her head. "Don't think you'll be taking any classes from anyone here, then," Sarah says. "I like to read Shakespeare, but I sure couldn't teach it." She then turns to Melissa, confiding, "He's always been like that. I barely notice it anymore, but...well, yeah. There ya go."
She also blinks as Melissa starts laughing. Okay, now she /knows/ she's missing something.
Elizabeth snickers, setting down her lemonade carefully. "Sarah, hon? Someday when there are no innocent ears about - well, when there are no /other/ innocent ears, I mean - ask me to explain my innuendoes to you. I'd offer to tutor Remy, but it might seem improper coming from a member of the opposite sex." She winks at Melissa and says, "Well, I wouldn't say that I've never eaten cheesecake either, but it's not my first choice."
Remy frowns slightly. "I don't believe I will need any tutoring. As I said, I prefer to keep my words and meanings clear."
Melissa takes a long sip of tea after her laughter finally dies away. She sets it down, still giggling a bit. It does take her a few moments to regain her composure. "Ahem. Yes, well. I do apologize - I really haven't heard someone misread my comments quite that much in a long while." She shares a knowing look with Elizabeth, and smiles. "Well, no. Nor mine either. I do try to keep from overindulging in either. It keeps the mind sharp, and that's always important." She gives Remy a fond look. "He is a dear though, isn't he. No idea." She shakes her head. "You must have had a very sheltered or interesting childhood, Remy."
Remy says, "It was uneventful."
Megumi says, "I agree entirely," she responds to Remy's statement regarding clear meanings, in particular, and then tsks a little at 'uneventful'.
Elizabeth giggles, and covers the giggles by hastily stuffing a forkful of chicken salad into her mouth. So muffled, she just listens for a space.
Sarah blinks, dimly. Innuendo. ...oh. OH. You can practically see the big Metal Gear >!< go up over her head as she chokes on a big bite of BLT. "Gack!" she coughs, banging on her chest a few times to clear the way.
Remy looks over to Sarah as she chokes. "Are you all right?" He appears a bit concerned for his colleague's health.
Melissa giggles again at poor Sarah, offering a napkin. "So. What were we discussing before Elizabeth and I wandered into discussion of fine... cuisine? Ocupation, I think it was?"
Megumi looks very concerned as well. Remy and Melissa seem to have it handled, however, so Megumi uses this oppourtunity to examine her own sandwich, examining it suspiciously for bones, shards of glass, extra-hard bits that are hard to swallow, and so forth.
"As long as she's still making noise there's nothing to worry about, Remy," Elizabeth says calmly. "If her airway were completely obstructed she'd be unable to make noise. The Heimlich maneuver at this point would be likely to do more harm than good."
"Actually, that's quite true. If it were an emergency situation, I'd deal with it. I may be in research, but I /am/ trained," comments Melissa, watching Sarah carefully for the hints of anything more than coughing.
Megumi stops from her sandwich examination to stare in absolute horror at Melissa and Elizabeth. Just for a moment. And then she returns to her business.
Sarah shakes her head at Remy, but accepts the napkin quickly, still bashing her chest. Thankfully, it doesn't look like she needs the help, as the chunk in question dislodges itself and goes on its merry way, leaving her to cough a few times as her system gets used to not having a big chunk of chewed sandwich bits in it. "Sorry!" she finally manages. "Surprised me. Remind me not to eat while you're talking, anymore."
Remy appears relieved as Sarah recovers, and nods. "I'm glad you're all right." He doesn't appear to be paying much attention to anything else at the moment.
Elizabeth says gravely, "I will stop talking for a few minutes to give you a chance to eat, Sarah. Starting now." She grins, then makes good on her words - by stuffing her own mouth with chicken salad, so she /can't/ talk around the full mouthful.
Melissa smiles faintly, settling back once Sarah manages to clear her throat of the obstruction. "I'm not going to make such a promise, but I promise to stick to more... conventional subjects." Folding her hands in her lap, she glances up at the clear concern Remy expresses for Sarah with a faintly raised eyebrow.
Sarah reaches out to sip her iced tea, then offers Remy a genuine smile. "Thanks. I'm fine. Just a little food, nothing to worry about, right?" It turns into a grin as she swivels to lok at Elizabeth, then she chuckles. "Well, far be it for me to fail to make use of this generous boon!"
And then she resumes chomping her BLT.
Megumi doesn't take the challenge of making Elizabeth talk. Yet, anyway. But she does finish her sandwich examination. She pushes it aside with a soft grunt and moves on to the hot chocolate, popping open the lid. She sets the lid aside, near the edge of her table. She blows at her hot chocolate for a few moments before adding, "Sarah, don't you think Remy behaved rather gallantly all the same?", she leans forward a bit, and knocks over her lid onto the ground, and it rolls right under the 'teacher table' (even if they aren't all teachers).
Melissa sighs softly, and rises to her feet, checking her watch as she does so. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat, I'm running just a bit late. I hope to see most of you again, when I have more time to talk." She smiles in particular to Elizabeth, although she bestows some of that charm on Remy and Sarah as well. Reaching into her pocket, she sets a few business cards on the table before picking up her briefcase. "If you'll excuse me."
Megumi quickly, but casually, leans forward and snags a business card, taking a nice good look at it.
Elizabeth polishes off her chicken salad, then turns her attention to the remaining lemonade, giving Sarah the promised amount of time. She reaches forward and takes one of the business cards, peering at it curiously before stuffing it in her purse. Alas, but she can't say goodbye to Melissa, for the sake of poor Sarah's respiration.
Remy leans over absently and plucks the lid of the hot chocolate off of the ground, setting it back on Megumi's table. "It's not polite to litter." He does smile slightly though, showing that not trying to be mean or anything. After he straightens, he reaches out and picks up the third card, examining the information on the card intently before offering it to Sarah wordlessly.
Sarah continues to eat, for the moment. She doesn't move to snag a card, perhaps trusting Remy to do so instead. She arcs a questioning eyebrow at him as she chews the last few bites of her BLT - she ate fast, so as to be merciful on Elizabeth if she actually intends to keep that promise. Satisfied with his choice to hand it to her rather than recite, she reaches out to snag the card after first wiping her hands on her napkin.
Elizabeth carefully watches Sarah eat, biding her time. As the other woman swallows the last of her BLT, she catches Sarah's eye and raises one finger to sketch a giant question mark in the air, concluding with an inquisitive lift of the eybrows.
Megumi says, to Remy, "Oh," with a cheerful, cheerful smile, "Thank you very much.", she pockets Melissa's business card. How mean!
"You're welcome." Remy sits quietly, waiting for Sarah to give permission for Elizabeth to speak again and avoid another choking scene.
Sarah reaches out and grabs her iced tea, taking a big swallow to wash down the final remnants of her meal, and then grins at Elizabeth. "I'm done, you can speak now," she says with a chuckle, before making a motion to offer the card to Remy, and raising a questioning eyebrow. "Want it, or can I keep it?"
Megumi says, "I imagine he'd like you to have it, as a gentleman.", she looks to Remy, raising an eyebrow as if asking for confirmation.
"Thank you, Sarah," Elizabeth says dryly. "So, now may I resume making innuendoes?"
Remy looks back to Megumi with a neutral expression. "It does not matter to me."
Melissa recently rushed off. And in suprisingly quick time comes storming back, lips tightly compressed as she turns the corner near the cafe, shoving a cell phone fiercely into her purse with a muttered invective.
Megumi replies candidly, "But there is no need to be shy," she seems ready to say more when Melissa returns, "...Trouble?", she asks, innocently.
Sarah shrugs. "'kay," she replies to Remy, slipping the card into her purse. She tosses a wry smirk at Elizabeth, then shakes her head in mock-lamentation. "I bet you've been hanging onto one this whole time, haven't you. Oh, very well. Proceed!"
...and then she sees Melissa return, prompting a confused blink. "Something the matter?"
Elizabeth raspberries Sarah, then turns to see whom everyone else is looking at. Seeing Melissa, she gestures back at the recently-vacated seat. "Go ahead, sit back down," she says casually, choosing not to offer the sympathy that Sarah and Megumi seem so ready to give.
"Only my respected 'collegues'." The last word is hissed as if Melissa would much rather be calling them something else. "Off golfing - meeting cancelled - so sorry you weren't informed. I have half a mind to... well." She takes a deep breath, and lets it out in an angry huff. "It's hardly the end of the world, but the nerve of them." Reclaiming her seat, she gives a tight smile. "I apologize - it has nothing to do with all of you. Please - continue. I'll just take a moment to compose myself."
Remy looks to Melissa, considering for a moment before saying... nothing. Insteadh he looks back to Megumi. "Shy about what?"
Elizabeth has mercy on poor Remy - after a fashion. In an attempt to divert Megumi she leans over to whisper at the girl, "Really, miss. What makes you think that he's attracted to women 'that way'? After all, he /is/ a male librarian."
Megumi looks back to Remy, "About gentlemanly beha-", she raises an eyebrow at the whisper, "Why I had /no idea/. Thank you," she bobs her head to Elizabeth and says, "Oh nevermind that, Remy, how about... Have you mentioned any of your favorite narratives?", she seems to suddenly get this grand, wonderful idea! "Actually, we can all participate, perhaps it will help some of us...cool down.", she pulls back a touch, "I already mentioned my personal love of Shakespeare, but what do all of you prefer? I hope I'm not being too inquisitive."
Melissa, who is already not in the best of moods, fixes the teenager with a disgusted look. "I've already mentioned my business to Elizabeth. And I'm hardly in the mood to play 'let's share life stories'."
Sarah nods sympathetically at Melissa. "I know the feeling. Sorry to hear it," she says, sincerely. Failing utterly to hear Elizabeth's whisper (probably good thing), she settles back, not having much o contribute, for now anyway.
...or, well, not until Megumi posits her question, at least. Sarah shrugs. "Well, I do a lot of reading. I was reading Dra--" And then Sarah stops at Melissa's interjection, eyes widening somewhat in surprise. She hadn't really expected that.
Elizabeth shrugs, and condescends to answer the girl, "Since you ask, young lady, I occasionally read political philosophy, particularly as pertains to matters of civil liberties. Of late, I've been looking at some Locke." Her voice is dry and precise, as would befit the most boring lecturer at any given college.
Remy shrugs. "You are being rather inquisitive, but I see no harm in sharing my own outlook. I find that all literature has somehthing worthwhile to contribute. It is difficult for me to nominate one piece or author that I would want to exalt in general."
Megumi corrects, "Not life stories, works of literature from other authors," half-heartedly. She looks over to Sarah, hmming a little, she nods to Remy, and then says, after a moment's thought, "...Sarah...", cheerfully, "Dracula is a wonderful book and I have not read it. I am not sure if the character of Dracula in my head should be replaced with the real deal, as it may prove inferior. You wouldn't mind doing a Bram Stoker Dracula impersonation for me, right?"
Melissa was busy glaring at the intrusive, overly inquisitive teen when Megumi changes tack all of the sudden. She narrows her eyes slightly, glancing aside to Sarah to watch the woman's reaction to this latest conversational shift, letting the teen guide the conversation for the moment.
Remy simply watches the conversation with a neutral expression.
Elizabeth sits back with a smirk, noticing how the girl seems uninterested in further discourse on the natural rights of man and social contract theory. Gosh, wonder why not? "Oh, go ahead, Sarah. Or perhaps you could give us a nice Cicero, since that would be closer to your field of study," she encourages.
Sarah peers at Megumi, apparently somewhat surprised by the request. She glances around the table for a few moments, then shrugs indifferently. "Well, I can try," she offers, standing and stretching. "Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot to imitate. He mostly does a lot of stuff that doesn't really work for a spot imitation." She paces for a moment, apparently trying to think of something.
Finally, though, she apparently comes to a decision, straightening up and squaring her shoulders and, in a very, very poor attempt at imitating a masculine voice that only makes a vague attempt at any accent that might be appropriate, but /does/ do a rather good job of sounding pleasant and nice and kind, "Welcome to my house! Enter freely, and of your own free will!"
She pauses, coughing a little in what might be embarrassment. "That was, of course, when he was pretending /not/ to be...well, Dracula."
Melissa smiles faintly at Sarah. "Excellently done. I must admit if we're going to discuss that sort of book, my personal favorite would have to be Frankenstein. The book, that is, not the films." She seems to have calmed slightly - after all, most of her annoyance is directed at someone else. She glances at Megumi, before glancing at Melissa. "But speaking of interesting reading... political philosophy. Have you done much reading on the current politics of science?"
Megumi wrinkles her nose for a moment during the Dracula impersonation, as if uncertain about something. She reaches into a pocket, flicks out a pen, and writes something down on the back of a certain someone's business card. She returns both to her pockets and says, "So he doesn't go 'I vantt to saack you' all the time? Ah, that's good to know, I was dreadfully worried, I believe I can read the book at ease now, thank you very much," she bows her head. "Frankenstein is well and good too. Did they ever have a child of Frankenstein? Or..hmm...No, I suppose not."
"What aspect of it do you mean?" Elizabeth asks Melissa. "The recent furor over federal funding for stem cell research? The controversy several years back when _The Bell Curve_ was published? Or perhaps how the science of eugenics is politically demonized by association with National Socialism? Science and politics have been entangled for as long as both have existed, it seems."
"Nah. I don't think he ever actaully says that in the book, in fact," Sarah says, taking a seat and grinning as she calms down a little. Then she peers at Melissa and Elizabeth's blooming conversation and, unfortunately, finds herself at a loss of what to say beyond a simple, "I think that's a yes."
Melissa laughs softly at Sarah. "I'd have to agree. I was mostly referring to the current administration's rejection of several forms of solid science based on the outdated notion of 'Because God says so', but it certainly sounds as if you're well read on the subject," she concludes in Elizabeth's direction. "But I wouldn't want to bore the others, so we can save that conversation for some other time."
Melissa says, "And no - there was no 'child of Frankenstein book'. At least, not one I'd deign to recognize."
Elizabeth shrugs and says, "I wouldn't call myself particularly well-read on the subject; I'm a relative dabbler when it comes to that sort of thing. I try to be reasonably alert to what's going on in the world around me, and I go link-chasing on line if something momentarily strikes my interest - but that hardly makes me a specialist." She looks at the others sheepishly and adds, "But I take your point about boring the others. So, ah... how about that local spots team?"
Remy arches an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything about the mild rant. Instead, he simply remains quiet, observing things for the moment, until Elizabeth asks about sports. "Which one?"
Sarah's eyes slide to Remy while Melissa speaks, just to make sure he won't find the need to speak about anything particularly sensitive...oh, good.
Then she glances at her watch, and cringes. "Eek, I've got somewhere to be!" She stands, gathering her purse and grabbing her tray to dispose of it before she goes. "It was nice meeting you, Melissa, and it was nice seeing you, Elizabeth, Remy! I'll see you later!"
And with that, she moves to leave.
Melissa laughs softly at Elizabeth. "The classic change of subject. I don't normally follow sports, however, so I'm afraid you have me at quite the disadvantage." She smiles at Sarah and gives a little wave to the other woman. "Goodbye Sarah, have a wonderful afternoon!"
Elizabeth waves to Sarah and calls out a quick, "Good-bye, Sarah!" before returning to the topic at hand. She starts to answer Remy's question, then pauses with he mouth open. After a second, she closes it. "I'm actually not quite sure myself," she admits. "I've never been a great fan of sports, and I just moved a couple months back. Let's see, it's football season now... are the Dallas Cowboys the closest team?"
Megumi waves after Sarah quietly, bobbing her head briefly to Melissa. "Football," she murmurs, gathering up her trash and food remains.
Remy turns and waves to Sarah. "Goodbye, Sarah." He then returns his gaze to Elizabeth. "I'm not sure either. I've not been following sports myself."
Melissa chuckles softly. "We seem to be singularly unprepared for this shift in topic. Perhaps weather would have been a better choices," she says teasingly. She looks thoughtful. "Or perhaps we could go back to the earlier discussion of fine cuisine, now that poor Sarah isn't here to be shocked by us."
Megumi says, with sudden optimism, "Football players have a lot of meat on their bones."
Remy says, "The exercise and typical diet of those involved in high-activity sports tends to create a lot of muscle tissue."
Elizabeth chuckles, and says, "There is that, Remy - and I have nothing against a well-muscled specimen. But I like to think that my tastes are a little more complex than that. I appreciate a little subtlety and good taste in what I choose to eat."
Melissa glances at Megumi and Remy, and shakes her head a bit. "Overly muscled generally means tough, when selecting a cut of meat. Hardly malleable at all." She grins at Elizabeth. "Yes! It has to be seasoned correctly - it's so difficult to find well prepared meat in this world. Far too much of it is tough, or spoiled."
Remy arches an eyebrow. "Why are you two talking about eating people?"
Elizabeth rolls her eyes and explains patiently, "It's a double entendre, Remy. Is English not your native language, perchance?"
"Clearly," Megumi says, looking to Remy, "They are cannibals.", she bobs her head towards him, "It's not really uncommon to see them these days, though you'll never be able to guess by looking at them.", she seems to be quite serious.
Melissa laughs softly for a moment before she realizes Remy is serious. "Oh, dear. You really are the innocent, aren't you?" She glances at Megumi, and narrows her eyes slightly. "That's hardly a pleasant thing to say. You should be ashamed."
Remy opens his mouth to reply to Elizabeth, when Megumi makes her assertion. For several moments, the librarian pauses... And then shakes his head. "No, I do not believe they are cannibals. They're right about the nature of their commentary, but this does reinforce my statement about my own preference for straightforward and clear conversation."
Megumi says, "Ah," with a nod, "You never know these days," she looks to Melissa, "I hardly intended to be /mean/, just--, entertaining a possibility, cannibals -do- look like normal people, after all."
Elizabeth sits back and seems to find something in her purse terribly, terribly interesting - oh, that's it, she's digging out a compact to freshen up her makeup. Or in other words, she's staying out of the tension brewing between Megumi and Melissa.
Melissa meets Megumi's gaze with her own, frowning slightly. "Was that really nesecery, however? Cannibals aren't found in downtown Austin Texas. And if it was meant to be a joke, it was a very poor one."
Megumi says, "I wouldn't know about that, I haven't studied Texas's Cannibal demographic," she sighs wistfully, "Well, we all do have different tastes. So I imagine,", she hefts up her trash, "If you'll excuse me?"
Elizabeth says graciously, "You may be excused, young lady." And continues peering into her compact mirror, not even bothering to look at the girl.
Melissa waves Megumi off, taking a moment to adjust her hair slightly, tucking an errant strand of it back into the bun with a practiced smooth movement.
Remy watches Megumi with an intent look on his face, but says no more, looking back to the ladies for a moment before standing. "I should be off as well. Thank you both for the conversation." Odd, that he has no trash to dispose of... Did he even get any food?
Elizabeth closes the compact with a crisp snap and puts it back in her purse. "Thank you for the conversation, Remy," she says pleasantly. "I look forward to seeing you again. Good-bye."
Megumi says, "You are very welcome," and with that, she puts her trash in a bin, "Good evening.", she watches Elizabeth and Melissa for a moment before adding, "I suppose I'll head off as well.", and thus she slinks off, before someone sets her head on fire!
Melissa inclines her head to Remy. "Yes, good bye Remy. It was interesting meeting you. I'll have to come by the library some time and say hello." She sighs softly and smiles at Elizabeth. "While I'd normally love to stay and chat, I should probably go and reschedule that meeting that my collegues decided to skip. It was a pleasure meeting you."
Elizabeth inclines her head toward Melissa and says, "I am pleased to have made your acquaintance as well. Next time, perhaps we can hope to avoid certain unpleasant interruptions." She stands, and gathers up the remains of her meal onto her tray to be disposed of properly.
"Agreed," comments Melissa as she picks up her briefcase and sets off down the street. "It would be nice to have a full uninterrupted conversation."
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