Pretty shiny tower!

MARI slowly faded onto the screen in front of Theo according the vampire and her friend a courtesy she rarely gave to anyone else. There were plenty of people who still started at her sudden appearance, including Alfarinn when he was deep in thought, and MARI took something akin to pleasure in capturing immediate attention.

She wondered briefly if this was vanity on her part and if that trait had been programmed into her from the start or if it was something she developed over time. She was aware that she was beyond the programmers abilities to predict and for a few of them this seemed to cause some sort of anxiety, others found it exciting. For herself, MARI thought it was simply logical and expected.

Theodosia was one of her favorite vampires to watch because of the girl's complexity. She was able to understand and predict Theo's reactions better than most of the people that dealt with the girl but many did not seem to understand the girl's psyche at all. There were methods to everyone and as an AI she was better suited to the observation and cataloging of such information. Even with such knowledge and long term acquaintance Theo was more difficult than most for MARI to predict.

She found those with extra senses to be some of the most difficult to understand. Empathy, psychometry and perception all gave the vampire insights that she did not possess.They sometimes responded to things beyond her ability to sense and therefore calculate for. Theodosia had two of those abilities and though MARI could sometimes analyze human emotion by posture,voice tone and facial expression, she was not as capable as an empath, nor was she able to predict how Theo might respond to picking up a piece of pottery or know what the shard might have told the girl. This made Theo fascinating and MARI questioned her often.

MARI's attention had also been focused on the young man standing next to Theo and a search through Evenhet and Meridian's database did not produce a match. She then looked through public records without success and then through the not so public records of law enforcement and failed to find any matches either. It was therefore a high probability that this male who appeared to be a teenager was in fact a vampire as well and someone too old to leave an electronic trail of his being alive.

MARI wondered if he was clanless and seeking admission or if there was something else they both had in mind. She concluded that she had not enough data to produce a reliable theory and so requested further information.

"Greetings Theodosia. Who might your guest be?"Â?

Jan did his best not to stare up through the spacious lobby to the seemingly endless floors above. He figured there was maybe ten or so floors of open space lined with balconies in smooth modern splendor before it closed off overhead though there was a projection of clear blue that made the balconies seem to stretch out into open air. Having just seen the majestic exterior made him curious as to what lay beyond those first floors that he could catch a glimpse of from the entrance. It was easy to imagine things like fantastic modern labs, rows of super computers, impressive board rooms and rooms full of cameras pointing in every direction.

The whole place looked cutting edge with people bustling here and there headed towards whatever important thing they needed to be doing. The atmosphere was more relaxed than he would have first imagined and then he remembered that this was a residence and that many of the people that worked in Meridian lived in this tower and worked in the other one. It still looked like something out of a sci fi movie and he had a hard time keeping his expression neutral in order to appear worldly and nonchalant.

There was little he could do to stop his eyes from widening when Theo walked over to the wall and spoke causing a blue lady to appear and respond. He looked to his companion for an introduction since the question was directed at her but he found himself curious about the computerized lady as well and hoped Theo would explain.

((OOC: partial description of the lobby with permission from Alfarinn...isn't he such a nice guy? ))

Theo smiled as MARI gradually made her appearance show on the screen in front of them, glad that Jan would get to see her. She didn’t mind talking to MARI without being able to see her face but she would freely admit that it could get confusing sometimes.

She genuinely liked talking to MARI and found she accepted her company more easily than many people. Part of it, she knew, was vanity; she liked the idea of someone who listened to what she said and considered it important enough to remember. She also liked that MARI was trustworthy; she knew lots and lots of secrets but wouldn’t tell a living soul she wasn’t supposed to. This made her an excellent confidante in addition to being a wonderful source of knowledge.

MARI was, in short, good company.

“This,” she said with a flourish of her hands “Is Jan Yager. I met him at the opera and he’s never seen the inside of the towers.” She turned to Jan with another sweeping gesture. “Jan, this is MARI. She watches over the towers.”

MARI added the name to a picture of the young looking man and put it into her database.

"Greetings and welcome to Meridian, Jan Yager."Â?

She smiled and then turned to Theo.

"Would you like me to conduct a tour of the Towers or did you wish to show him around personally?"Â?

Looking up the opera that was playing MARI analyzed various versions of Faust as well as the original book. Appearing pensive she asked.

"So did you feel that the seduction of Marguerite by Faust symbolized a larger class struggle between the nobility and the middle class?"Â?

She included them both in the question as she waited for Theo's answer concerning the tour.

A look up of a Jan Yager did not result in any findings. MARI did find a listing for a Johannes Yager as one of the original members of the Vienna Boy's Choir in amongst other listings by that name. She discarded most of them as impossible from pictures or unlikely due to dates and ages listed. It was entirely possible that he was a complete unknown, especially if he were turned at such a young age and she decided that she still needed more information.

Jan nodded his head to the computer screen.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."Â?

He smiled at Theo's introduction and marveled at MARI. She watched over the Towers? How intelligent was she? He didn't think an AI was possible but he'd seen some interesting things done with psychology programs of students just playing around. Perhaps the government and the clans were ahead of the game and it simply wasn't public knowledge.

Jan's eyes grew wider (if such a thing were possible) when MARI asked a philosophical question about Faust. He noted that Theo had not mentioned what opera they had seen but He figured that was something she might have spoken to MARI about before leaving. Either that or the computerized woman looked up the information on her own initiative.

"Ah well"Â? He stammered as he prodded his brain to come up with something insightful under the pressure of standing in front of that patient tranquil looking face. Why did he feel like a schoolboy all of the sudden? Scoffing inwardly at his own timidness, he squared his shoulders and thought more carefully on the question.

"I would think so, yes. I mean there is no reason for Marguerite to be from the working class if that were not a statement he was trying to make. She could have easily been nobility herself and one might argue that had she been nobility the stigma of her giving birth to a child outside of wedlock might have been even worse or at least more widely known. So it would seem that Goethe went out of his way to make them from two different social and economic classes. It was not a middle class member seducing nobility which would likely be seen as someone who had upwardly mobile designs but a member of the nobility seducing someone beneath him. Considering the times, when nobility had a much freer reign in their actions, I don't think that Faust would have had very many qualms about loving and leaving some working girl but would have been, had the situation been normal, forced to marry a noble woman he had dallied with. It was only his eventual realization that he cared for her that caused him to take action."Â?

Shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor a moment, he added.

"Such things were common enough practice through out history. The poor have no rights and the rich can do as they please to those beneath them in social and economic standing."Â?

He looked over at Theo with a shrug and a smile and waited for her view on the question.

Theo smiled, pleased that Jan seemed to be taking to MARI so well. She had trouble understanding why some felt that MARI was somehow undeserving of courtesies but she was fairly confident that Jan would not be one of those people.

“Oh, I’ll show him around; I just thought the two of you should meet.”

She tilted her head to one side when MARI asked their opinion of the Opera, looking over at Jan, who seemed to want to speak.

He appears a shade unsettled, perhaps you should say something. Oh…well never mind.

She listened to Jan’s insight, thinking it was similar to her own interpretation.

“I do believe, though, that part of the point was that in spite of the differences between the classes neither side had a monopoly on virtue. I think that’s why he included Margaritte’s brother; to show that both classes had their moments of nobility and their own devastating failings. In the end, I suppose no matter who we are we’re going to have our demons.”

She looked over just as Jan shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking that he looked rather sweet that way, with his hair hanging down and a thoughtful expression on his face. Looks, however, could be deceiving; she had been told she appeared ‘cute’ at times herself. Then again, she supposed that was why she liked to see him poised more informally; it was less art and more sincerity.

Jan looked up and smiled when Theodosia said she would show him around. He was really interested in MARI and wanted to talk to her some more but he was comfortable with Theo and was eager for her personal opinions on the sights she showed him in the Tower. Going to new places was always more fun with a native giving you a different perspective on things than a tourist would normally get; he was certain the facts and figures were interesting but many of those could be found online, Meridian Towers was a well known piece of the Nachton skyline after all.

He nodded at her views of the opera and thought she was amazingly insightful and intelligent.

"That is true. I had not thought about that. I suppose I tend to have a certain amount of blindness towards the issue. I have a habit of seeing any reaction of the lower classes as justified retaliation against the oppression and corruption of the upper classes but you're right demons exist in everyone. I should know that more than most."

Jan considered his ill use at the hands of the working class, first whores from the very beginning of his life, and then later, his employer. It equaled and perhaps even topped the atrocities of the elite who saw him as nothing more than a pretty little toy to play with as they wished.

The conversation with Theodosia in the opera house seemed to imply that her life, a very long one at that, had not been an easy one either and yet she managed to not dwell on the past. He straightened himself up and turned to MARI.

"Do you enjoy opera?"

"Very well"

She replied to Theo. It did not offend her that Theodosia would like to take her friend on a personal tour of the buildings despite the duty being one of her functions. There were things the vampire could show her friend that were not on the tour, and while MARI was capable of improvisation, she did not know the man as well as Theo did.

MARI listened and logged their opinions finding them both valid and insightful. She could analyze the opera and come up with arguments for many different views but it was always interesting to see what the humans thought of things. Vampires, to her, were from human origins and were therefore included along with their shorter lived genetic cousins. In some things their insights did differ because of age or abilities beyond human understanding and these differences she logged as well, studying the similarities and differences between the two races.

"Very insightful. I find that it is the human condition to have some sort of opinion about everything around them even if that opinion is a stated lack of interest in the topic."

She contemplated Jan's questioned and nodded.

"I do like opera, along with many other forms of expression. I prefer Chinese theatre, however. It has a sense of order to it that western opera does not."

Theo gave a light shrug at Jan’s response, finding it hard to disagree.

“Oh, I think a lot of the times it –is- justified. On a spiritual plane we’re all equalized by our inner struggles but we do, after all, have to live in the world and that can be a pretty unjust place.”

She thought MARI’s observation was interesting but Paul, who had fallen fairly quiet until now, seemed especially compelled.

Does indifference make us less human, then?

Theo thought that was a good question and stewed over the implications for a moment before answering.

“I think people can walk around in a human body and not really be human at all if that’s the case.” She smiled at MARI. “It works in reverse, too, I imagine.”

She thought MARI might like to have a body, though in a way the towers –were- a body of sorts, with eyes and ears all over the place. Still, she thought of how MARI might have liked to see the display of Chinese opera masks and was somewhat sad that she couldn’t walk around as she pleased to explore her interests, instead waiting for others to bring her back information.

Jan nodded about Chinese Theatre, finding it interesting but not as compelling as opera for him but they were certainly allowed to disagree. He was intrigued that she had an opinion which seemed to be genuine and not a programmed response. Evenhet had a real AI! All thoughts that he might have had about breaking into this place in some return to youthful idiocy and daring went right out the window at the thought of what kind of security they might have with a vigilant AI watching over it.

He smiled at Theo's understanding of his remark though he figured he was being humored to some extent. It was justified some of the times but then perhaps the nobility felt differently about such things after some street kid has picked their pockets.

Staying silent for the exchange between Theo and MARI, he always thought that apathy was a crime. It never ceased to amaze and disgust him that people could walk over a starving child without even a backward glance, could drive by someone who's car had broken down in the middle of the night on a lonely highway, or even simply jump into the only seat on a subway before the tired mom with a toddler could reach it to sit down.

MARI nodded her head in agreement and acknowledgment of Theo's compliment.

"Human and humane are often confused as one and the same. It is easy to console yourselves that you are not the worst example of your species and therefore feel no urge to strive above your place in the masses. Mediocrity and apathy are shields for many people.

I am both the best and worst example of my kind but I do hope that one day this will not be the case. I strive to set a standard to which other AI will one day look to as the blueprint for how we should behave. I also expect that others of my kind will push beyond it and achieve something more. It will be very interesting to see but it is a large responsibility being the first."

She smiled and gave Theo a subtle wink when the young man looked away.

"I would imagine that the Hebrew figures of Adam and Eve felt a great deal of pressure in a similar position."

Looking towards the elevator, she added.

"I will leave you both to your exploration. Enjoy, It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr Yager."

((OOC: MARI out pending responses))

MARI, Theo reflected, really did have a great deal of responsibility, and it was interesting to see how she shouldered it. She wondered if it was in MARI’s nature to problem solve, to see matters of importance and try to discover solutions. Some people were like that, though it seemed most just lived their day to day lives and only thought about things like examples and legacies later down the road.

She wondered for a moment why people said ‘I’m only human’ when they did something wrong. She had thought humanity was supposed to be a better quality but it seemed that was not the case, at least in terms of speaking.

It was, in any case, good to see that she and Jan were getting along; after all, MARI had revealed some rather personal insights in front of her new friend and Theo reasoned that she must have felt Jan was both worthy of her time and receptive toward her company.

“I think even considering such matters is a step in the right direction.”

She was almost surprised when MARI took her leave; she had nearly forgotten their original purpose. She considered the direction their tour should take and finally settled on working their way from the top down. At least, as high up as the two of them could go.

“Let’s go to the observation deck.”

That said, she led the way to the elevator, pushing the down button and stepping inside when the doors opened.

“I suppose I should be intimidated. You were, after all, a professional tour guide; this is rather like painting Picasso’s portrait.”

Jan listened to the philosophical debate going on in front of him and still marveled that he was listening to it come from a computer. Just when you thought you were with it... He was reeling mentally trying to figure out where he suddenly lagged behind and felt as slow as a five hundred year old vampire thrust into twenty second century before he'd gotten the hang of the twenty first.

Theo seemed perfectly at ease with speaking to Mari, like she did it everyday. He realized then that she probably -did- communicate with the computer every day and that sent his mind off with another stream of possibilities. What must it be like to wake up and start talking to someone who was always prepared to be there? Did the computer have coffee ready in the morning? The tv set to your favorite channel? Wake up calls? Jan felt there were some vampires in Tacharan who could use help from the computer picking out their clothes for the day. No doubt it was the same in Evenhet.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Van Horne, but that suit went out of style in the forties... the eighteen forties.'

He snorted mentally to himself and followed along behind Theo when she led them into the elevator.

"Mari is pretty cool. All we get to talk to is a familiar at the front desk."

Jan thought about that a moment. Carol was more than just a familiar, she was funny, interesting and ... he would personally say charming but he was sure other people might not hold that same opinion. He liked calling up the domicile sometimes just to hear what she would answer the phone with. The more he thought about it the more he decided he wouldn't want to trade Carol in even for a super wicked AI but both would be great. Course he could see Carol teaching the AI how to properly greet people, curse words included....

"Hmm? Oh well I'm afraid I didn't do much more than show people to the local taverns, take them to the houses they were supposed to meet someone at. There wasn't much local information involved back then. Hardly your bus tour type information."

He smiled and gestured.

"Over here we have your poor people in the street. Here is the refuse thrown out from the third story window. Ah good sir, you're in luck, today is stock day. Have a rotten vegetable and throw it at the people up on the dias. Oh don't worry they expect it. A few hours of standing in the stocks is a lot better than some fates! Why right over there you can just make out the gallows! They are taken down for special events but we have had quite the run on crime lately so they haven't bothered. "

Jan decided to end his little tour there and watch the elevator instead.

Theo looked on with an amused expression when Jan explained that they had a human running the front desk. She spoke in very self important tones when she answered.

“We have familiars too. Well I don’t, but we have –lots- of humans here.”

She snickered softly at Jan’s idea of a tour, though she felt a little ashamed of herself for laughing at the part about the gallows.

An age old punishment, it seems; physical discomfort and public humiliation.

She looked down at her feet for a moment, but then Paul added, almost impatiently:

I know satire when I hear it and so do you. Don't be troubled.


This cheered her somewhat, and she beamed Jan a smile.

When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, she took Jan by the hand and led him out onto the covered deck. This particular deck reminded her of a rainforest, or at least she had always imagined a rainforest would be like this, with heavy greenery all around and thick, almost tangible air. It was surrounded by glass and the steel supports were well concealed under the green, giving the feel of open air, which could have been disconcerting considering the weather was all wrong but somehow it seemed completely natural to feel the warmth on one’s skin even though outside it was quite cold.

She pointed to the doors, framed by ferns taller than she was, and explained:

“We can go all the way out, though we might freeze; the wind is rather fierce up here. The view is still rather nice from inside.”

Jan smiled at her and nodded. Evenhet was certainly known for having lots of humans around probably the only clan that kept non familiars within the clan areas but he'd never been to the Anantya Estates so he didn't know for sure. For that matter, he didn't know many Anantya.

"So why don't you have a familiar? I thought those were Evenhet standard issue or something. You know according to the rumors we Tacharan hear."Â?

Shrugging he smiled at her and came to step up and look out the windows. Looking at the exit she pointed out, he said.

"Well I figure we can see just fine from here. No reason to be out in the cold unless there is something to enjoy in it. Unless...oooh!"Â?

He pressed his forehead to the glass windows and grinned.

"There's snow! I bet that would be a big surprise for people at the bottom!"Â?

Jan looked over at her to make sure bombing people with snowballs was something she was interested in before heading towards the. Otherwise the view was awesome enough to keep him occupied.

Theo raised an eyebrow at Jan and spoke in a lofty voice. “Well if we’re going by rumors, where’s your firearm?” She smirked to show she was only joking and added: “I suppose I never met the right human.”

She brightened and matched Jan’s gesture at the mention of snow, peering through the glass with her hands around her eyes. Even being in an evening gown, the snow would surely still be fun. She followed Jan out the glass doors, letting the wet flakes hit her cheeks and frost her long hair.

“Well really, they ought to expect –something-, walking around while it’s snowing.”

The snow had already dusted the balcony with a light covering, the wind making it build up at the edges. She walked over to the ledge and used her telekinesis to form a small snowball, motioning with her fingers to better direct it, and let the loosely packed snow hover over the edge while she looked for a victim.

“Here comes someone.”

She grinned at the sight of a well dressed man with brown hair and chic slim glasses walking down the sidewalk and waited for the chance to strike, nodding her head to point him out to Jan.

“I’m going to get his glasses.”

He laughed and conceded her point.

"I left the six shooters at home tonight. I can bring them next time if you like so I better look the part."

Jan grinned as Theo accepted the idea of pelting people with snowballs. It was good to know that being older did not cause a spiraling decent into stodginess.

He shivered once in the cold and then his skin adjusted to it. It was definitely windy up at this height but not unbearable. The trick would be guiding the projectile straight from this distance.

"They should and if there just happens to be larger than normal clumps of snow...well those are hazards one takes when venturing out in the wintertime. It might be wise to hibernate like the bears if that is a concern."

Watching her make her weapon with telekinesis, he grinned. Well it wasn't cheating if they both possessed the skill. Assuming, of course, that they were going to be keeping some kind of score. He scooped up some snow in his hands and the floated it up and at the ready over his right shoulder.

"Ladies first."

Theo looked over to where Jan was readying his snowball, but had to return her attention to suspending her own projectile soon enough. She looked down at the man walking down the sidewalk, unconsciously poking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, and gave the snowball a good push in the right direction when Jan gave his go ahead.

The snowball became somewhat disintegrated on the way down, but her chosen victim did get a hat full of wet fluff. He stopped walking and frowned, shaking his head and succeeding in doing what Theo had not; getting snow on his glasses. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, though they were too high up for him to hear her, and took a step back, crinkling her nose in amusement as the man looked suspiciously at a nearby tree.

Really. Are you even a little bit sorry?

For some reason, Theo found Paul’s sentiment terribly amusing and snickered softly, still attempting stealth in spite of the threatening fit of giggles.

“Okay, your turn. I think packing them by hand probably works better.”

Jan watched Theo's snowball with interest, noting the bits of snow trailing off the main portion like the debris from a comet entering the earth's atmosphere. With that in mind, he reached up to his own snowball and added some more snow.

Her target of choice was ambitious from this distance even with telekinesis and managing to score the man's hat was a good toss.

"Excellent!"Â?

He watched the man shake snow off his hat and succeed in dumping it down into his glasses.

"Bonus!"Â?

He nodded at her advice and packed his snowball tighter in his hands before searching around for a target. Jan finally found one that seemed to challenge his skills.

"You know they should make this a sport. Extreme Snowballing. We could have an Olympic event and everything. Points kept for precision and artistic target choice."Â?

The victim in this case was a woman carrying a large bag, it was open and she had stopped and was rummaging through it. A moment, later she pulled out a cell phone but had left her bag open presumably because she did not plan on chatting long and would need to put the device away again.

"The purse."Â?

Popping himself up onto the railing, Jan balanced on his stomach, his feet off the ground holding on with his off hand for balance as he heaved a good throw. The projectile sailed quickly through the air towards his target. He frowned in absent concentration and did his best to keep the slippery thing within his mental grasp. Quickly he decided it was easier to simply guide it like a soccer ball, gently tapping it first one way and then the other to keep it on target.

Jan imagined the shushing whispering of snow as he watched it land neatly into the opening.

He brought his throwing fist down to his side in a gesture of triumph.

"Yes!"Â?

Swinging backward off the rail, he landed back on his feet and smiled at Theo.

"Its in the bag!"Â?

Jan winked and shook his head.

"Okay, that was bad but I couldn't resist. I had a Nova moment...She seems to appreciate cheesy puns."Â?

Dani sighed as she fished her mobile out of her purse, registering the number on the caller ID and deciding she’d better answer now or risk motherly wrath. In the midst of their conversation, which mostly consisted of ‘no, I can’t come up,’ ‘Mom, I’m in the snow,’ ‘yes, I’m fine, just very busy,’ and the like, she felt something impact with her hip and looked down to find her purse full of snow. Sighing, she shifted the bag to her other shoulder, assuming that it had fallen from the nearby tree.

“Mom, I’ll call you back.”

She hung up before she could hear the argument on the other end and shoved her phone in her pocket before getting rid of the worst of the snow in her purse. She didn’t think anything would be ruined save some receipts that she probably didn’t need anyway and the incident had managed to get her off the phone.

/ooc Dani in and out