nextgen_citizen (nextgen_citizen) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-01-26 02:02:00

Entry tags:

Michael Sapt could not believe he had let the girls from the office conspire with their friend Bryn into getting him into this situation. But so it went. Sydney didn't sound bad at all, of course, but after all this time, he still wasn't sure how to go about having another relationship, so it was hard to say how well this could possibly go even if it did go well.

So he was sitting here in the Literati Cafe waiting to meet Bryn's sister. He'd arrived early -- as usual.

(Post a new comment)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-01-26 07:46 am UTC (link)

Sydney was running late, as usual, but thankfully she was only about five minutes late. Life with a kid usually meant you were late because it was usually hard getting out the door on time. Tonight it was Zoey giving her a hard time about getting in the shower and Bryn running late herself.

Syd stood near the entrance and looked around, her mind going over the description Bryn gave her. She saw someone who looked like they could be Michael and there was only one way to be sure.

She cautiously walked over. "Michael Sapt?"

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 07:50 am UTC (link)
	He stood up quickly -- and very straight. "Yes. Sydney Ashcroft, I presume." The accent was miniscule, but he hadn't managed to quite shake it; his native Ruritania didn't start English education quite as early as some German-speaking countries. "Very good to meet you." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 07:55 am UTC (link)
	"Yes." Syd smiled. "It's nice to meet you," she said and offered a hand. Syd caught the traces of the accent and tried to place it. Languages were her specialty. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_citizen
2010-01-26 08:31 am UTC (link)

He shook politely, with a sort of quarter-bow incorporated. Then, with a "Please," he moves to get her chair for her. "The coffee here is really quite excellent."

The accent is indeed Germanic, Michael's particular dialect being that of a heavily forested little kingdom somewhere between Austria, Czech, and Symkaria that many educated people hear of at some point and then promptly forget about.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 08:36 am UTC (link)
	"I apologize for being late," she said as she took the offered seat. "It can be hard getting out the door sometimes. Do you have a recommendation for a particular kind of coffee?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 08:50 am UTC (link)
	"Not a problem. Family responsibilities in particular generally take some precedence," he says carefully. That she had a daughter had been mentioned, but not much in the way of details. "The French Roast. Very dark, but very smooth." A pause, a thoughtful expression as he takes his own seat. "Of course, they also have very good chai." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-01-26 08:55 am UTC (link)

"Zoey was very adamant about not taking a shower and arguing with a six year old is taxing. Thank you for being understanding." She smiled. "You said the magic words. I love tea and spiced chai is my favorite."

Syd settled in a little more and tried to relax. Blind dates were always hard on the nerves. Though Michael seemed unlike all the other guys Bryn had tried to set her up with.

"What brings you so far away from home and to Los Angeles, if I may ask?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_citizen
2010-01-26 09:18 am UTC (link)

"A difficult age, I hear. But then, my mother assures me that children are difficult at all ages."

He politely asks the waitress for one French Roast and one chai.

"Well, after going from Ruritania to Belgium for university, and studying international business, I rather liked the international part. I always wanted to see America, and Los Angeles is a good place to get work as an import-and-export agent .

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-01-26 09:27 am UTC (link)

Syd smiled. "Yes, it is a difficult age and Zoey's a very peculiar child on top of it. Don't get me wrong, she's a great kid, but she has some very definite ideas about things."

Syd smiled. "Los Angeles is a good place for that. It's a very interesting city and a major business hub. The company I work for has an office here. What will you be importing and exporting?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 09:35 am UTC (link)
	"At the moment, clocks, of all things. It takes on a bizarre sort of humor when one has to make conference calls at two o'clock in the morning because of time zones. May I ask what you tend to find yourself doing?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 09:40 am UTC (link)
	Syd grinned. "Yes, I could imagine." Just how did she explain her job? Make that jobs. Baby sitting gods? Den mother to a superhero team? That wasn't even mentioning the Scion stuff. "I'm a cultural liaison to a small group of people. I help them adjust to living here in California. I also sit on a board of shareholders for a company." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 09:48 am UTC (link)
	Well, that certainly sounded impressive and busy. "I can see how it could be a useful position for people new to America to have someone in. California can be like another world sometimes." "Does Zoey enjoy the cross-cultural experiences?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 09:51 am UTC (link)
	Sydney nodded. "It definitely can be. I grew up in San Francisco and LA is nothing like San Francisco. They're a unique bunch of people." That was a mild way of putting it. "Oh she is. So much that she emulates them on a regular basis. I have to remind her on a regular basis that we're mortal and not like them." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 09:56 am UTC (link)
	Michael blinks. "...I'm sure that's a difficult fact to impress on a girl her age. So you work with the, um, Defenders?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 09:59 am UTC (link)
	Oooops. A slip there. "Yes, I do work with them. I'm sort of like the team den mother. Zoey adores all of them and wants to be like them." "I try not to announce that I work with them for various reasons. Mostly to keep Zoey safe." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_citizen
2010-01-26 10:05 am UTC (link)

"Understandable enough, I suppose. Well, you can rest assured Bryn didn't spread it around." A pause. "Although I suppose it would explain her giggling when I mentioned that I fence -- which is, I assure you, only a hobby -- and attempting to determine that 'those really big kind of swords' weren't involved."

He stops speaking for a moment when the waitress arrives with their coffee and chai.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 10:25 am UTC (link)
	"Thank you," Syd said to the waitress. She took a sip of the chai and a look of almost pure bliss crossed her face. "That sounds like Bryn. She wouldn't know the difference between a broadsword, a cutlass, a rapier and a sabre. A sword is a sword to her. How long have you been studying fencing?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 10:29 am UTC (link)
	"Well, we all have our particular gaps of knowledge." Michael smiles. "Eight years. It's still the most popular sport in Streslau, whether or not one's from the usual appropriate situation for it." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 10:43 am UTC (link)
	"True, very true. I'm in the process of trying to play catch up in the business world. I wanted to be a history professor, but somehow ended up in business. I'm still trying to figure that one out." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 10:48 am UTC (link)
	Michael chuckles slightly. "My sympathies. The corporate world can be very intimidating even when you've prepared for it." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-01-26 10:53 am UTC (link)

"You know what they say about life and plans," she said with a rueful smile. "I did get a little lucky. I go to board meetings, vote, and that's about the extent of my involvement. Thankfully Mr. Stark handles the rest of it."

Syd took a small sip of her chai. It was still a little on the too hot side.

"So tell me, what's Ruritania like? Is there one thing in particular that you like or enjoy the most?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_citizen
2010-01-26 11:22 am UTC (link)

"Ruritania's still very 'Old World,' as I hear it's called, just some parts in different ways. Most of the central parts of Strelsau haven't changed much in centuries; it's like a labyrinth. Further out to the Nicer Neighborhoods, and it's much as you'd see in plenty of modernized European suburbs. But not excessively far out from there, the forest's still thick. The trees are just as old and twisted and packed together as the buildings in Old Town. So there's constant company on one extreme, and peace and quiet on the other." He sipped his coffee and then shrugged. "I always kind of liked that."

"Things must have been even busier for you lately, then, with all the fuss at Stark Industries."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-01-26 08:41 pm UTC (link)
	Syd smiled. "It sounds lovely." Syd tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. "Do you miss being there?" "I've mostly been able to stay out of it. Mr. Stark really handles the day to day stuff." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_citizen 2010-01-26 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	"From time to time, but there are plenty of aspects I don't miss, too. The government's tried to make changes for the better in recent years, but there are still...problems." "Have you always lived in California?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-01-26 11:26 pm UTC (link)

Syd nodded. It was the same with all governments. "Do you get to go back often? Do you still have family there?"

"I have. I grew up in San Francisco and just moved down here to LA three years ago. My sister wanted to pursue a career in acting so Zoey and I moved with her."

Syd tilted her head. "How do you know my sister? No offense, but you don't seem like the type of guy she normally associates with."