Late September 2012: Featherhead, South Dakota

[damncompass]

If there's one thing that Joshua truly missed from Switzerland, it's the different restaraunts.

Thus, after a good half day's worth of research, he finally found the one decent Indian restaraunt in possibly all of western South Dakota.

On the bright side, it didn't require reservations, and there weren't too many people there.

Dinner is lovely with naan, a few appetizers, and Joshua's favourite vindaloo curry.

Comments

[claudiometer]

Om all the nom. Claudia went for korma, herself; she wasn't feeling like something too spicy tonight.
(She doesn't have her tool belt, but that doesn't make her unprepared. She packed a shoulder bag with some backup supplies and her Tesla. And her badge. Badges are cool.)

[damncompass]

Joshua's bag is on its way to becoming an Artifact in its own right. He has pretty much everything that he'd need, along with a few Regent files on this and that.

About halfway through dinner, he looks up and raises an eyebrow at another table. "Hey, Claud... I think they're breaking up."

[claudiometer]

"Oh?"
She glances over at the table in question. There's a guy and three women at it; she assumes the one who looks like she's just sucked a lemon is the one being dumped, as the other two look pretty amused by the whole situation.
"Well, that's interesting."

[damncompass]

Joshua snorts a bit as the other table gets slightly louder in their break-up.

"ooooh. Sounds like she's rather a bitch." This is rather wonderful theatre.

[claudiometer]

Claudia snorts. "Good for him, then."
She's trying to leave them to their drama in peace, but this is pretty good dinner theatre... and then she looks closer.
"You notice he looks... kinda surprised to have said that?"

[damncompass]

Joshua sits back for a moment, watching the tableau. "Actually, yes."

A couple moments of argument pass. "Actually, that long-haired woman who just told off that guy looks a bit surprised that she said what she did too."

[claudiometer]

"Well, shit, son."
As Claudia fishes a pair of gloves out of her bag, Lemon Face stalks over to another table and bothers the couple there. From the way the guy laughs in her face, Claudia guesses Lemon Face was looking for backup.
(The guy looks like he didn't mean to laugh in her face. Claudia smells fudge, so to speak.)

[damncompass]

"Ok, so there's something going on there." Joshua rummages in his bag as well, pulling out a pair of gloves of his own. "Figures. Can't even go to dinner without Artifacts following us. I almost wish I was back in Switzerland."

[claudiometer]

"No, you don't. I know you better than that." Seriously, he'd be bored to tears if he were still in Switzerland.
Whatever this is, it's not following Lemon Face; the effect's spreading to tables she hasn't gone anywhere near.
"Looks like we got a Category 4 on our hands."

[damncompass]

"Crap. That we do." Joshua rummages in his bag for a few seconds and pulls his ball out of his bag. It rolls on the table for a moment, trying to figure out where the Artifact is coming from. "Shit. Ball's not picking anything up."

[claudiometer]

"Give it time. It'll get there."
And if it doesn't? They watch the crowd, which they were doing anyway.

[damncompass]

The problems seem to be getting bigger and bigger, as more tables in the restaurant start getting more emotional and louder.

"This is... getting worse, and my ball's not helping."

[claudiometer]

"Shit, son... wait." Claudia points at a table. "Things are looking awfully calm for them, don'tcha think?"
Then she helps herself to a deep breath. "Okay. I can handle this. I can totally handle this. I don't feel like an impostor or anything, why would I, I have more investigative experience than some people who get their badges the long way..."
She shuts her mouth before she can add any more to this fail train.

[damncompass]

"Claudia." Joshua reaches over and puts a hand on her shoulder. "You are the most capable person I know. You got this. Hell, I don't even know why I'm here. You don't even need me for this."

[claudiometer]

"You're here because we were having dinner, dumbass."
With that, she fishes her badge and some gloves out of her bag, gets up, and heads over to the table in question. She can come up with a way to spin this on her way over there, right? Right.

[damncompass]

While Claud's on her way to the other table, Joshua sits back down. Or at least he tries to, but a woman comes stalking over from another table and throws herself at him. "Oh, aren't you hot? Let's get out of here, and you can have whatever you want...."

Before he can say anything, the woman's husband comes over, and pries his wife off of Joshua. "Now listen here, creep..."

"I didn't do anything! I have a girlfriend!"

He rolls his eyes. "Likely story." And without waiting for Joshua to answer, he punches him in the nose.

[claudiometer]

Okay. Okay. She's got this. Flash the badge, say something about the fact that they believe something on one of these people's person is causing trouble, find out the woman broke out a necklace she inherited from her grandmother who was fond of picking fights with people, say she needs to take it for processing and will get it back 'sometime.' That part's totally a lie, but these people don't need to know that.
Turns out the woman's not all that attached to the necklace anyway, just thought it went well with the dress; she hands it over willingly. Mission accomplished! Now she just needs to get it in a...

"Really, dude, can I take you anywhere?" she says, when she sees Joshua.

[damncompass]

Joshua's holding a hand to his nose which is currently bleeding. The man has moved on to yelling at the next person his wife threw herself at. "Everyone ignores me when I don't have a girlfriend, but when I'm taken, then everyone throws themselves at me. Granted, she wasn't that great anyway, I'd much rather have Helena..."

[claudiometer]

"...Really more than I needed to know, brother dear."
She gets out a static bag and bags the necklace, which sends up a spurt of gold sparks.

[damncompass]

"Not like you didn't know that anyway, you." He sticks his tongue out a bit. "Anyway, can we get a bill and get out of here? I don't think my nose is broken, but this is kinda embarrassing."

[claudiometer]

"Hey, look at it this way. You're not looking at scads of couples counseling, and you're not down a husband like ol' Lemon Face appears to be." Say what you will for the situation, but from the looks of that table, there'll be no reconciliation in that relationship.
Claudia does wave down their waiter when she sees him, though.

[damncompass]

"Yeah, that long-haired woman looks like she's having one hell of a time." The waiter brings a napkin for Joshua's nose along with the bill, and he holds it up to his face. "I didn't really say anything that annoying or embarrassing. Just... frustrating."

[claudiometer]

"Eh, I know you. You wouldn't really rather be in Geneva. You'd be bored out of your skull."
Unlike most of the night's other drama, she wasn't inclined to take that seriously.

[damncompass]

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't."

Joshua puts his card down, and shakes his head. "You might have to drive home. This nosebleed's not letting up."

[claudiometer]

"Gimme the keys, head forward, get some tissues."
At least paying the bill goes pretty quickly.

[damncompass]

"If I get blood on my car, I'm going to be really pissed."

He sighs and shuffles out of the restaurant and into the car. "Just be nice to Newton."

[claudiometer]

Claudia snorts. "I'm always nice to Figgy. If that hasn't let up by the time we get back I'll call Dr. Vanessa - and don't say you'll go to a regular hospital." She can see that argument coming and shed rather head it off at the pass.
"One, there's not much point in turning around again once we get there. Two, it's her job to help us with medical crises even if they're not caused by Artifacts. Three, if you go to a regular hospital you'll have to explain your medical history and its twelve years of we don't know what the fuck. Might as well call in someone who gets it."

[damncompass]

"I'll be better."

And if he isn't, he'll say he is and just avoid people. Or try to. He's not very good at actually avoiding people.

[claudiometer]

"We'll see when we get there."
It's mostly a quiet drive back, but after a while, Claudia says, "That was actually kinda fun. Other than you getting punched in the face for no apparent reason."

[damncompass]

"It was. And in all seriousness, I am proud of you." He slinks back into his seat. "I could have done without the nosebleed, though. I actually like this shirt."

[claudiometer]

"Easier than I thought it would be. I mean, it helps that she didn't protest losing the necklace, but still."
Claudia shrugs. "We can probably save your shirt. You do live with a bunch of experts in getting blood out of clothing, you know."

[damncompass]

"True. And if I lose my shirt it's not the end of the world. I can always get more things."

He shrugs, and watches the badlands go by for a bit, falling silent.

[claudiometer]

"Yeah, at least you won't have to replace your entire wardrobe at once again."

After a while, she adds, "Thanks."

[damncompass]

"For what? I didn't do much except get punched in the face."

[claudiometer]

"And believe in me when my dear friend Crippling Self-Doubt crashed the party."

[damncompass]

"Claud, your friend needs to get kicked out on his ass. You are awesome, and somewhere in there you damn well know you're awesome."

[claudiometer]

Claudia sighs. "I'm better at knowing I'm awesome when it comes to certain things. Techy things, mostly. Warehouse things, usually. Shoving a badge in someone's face and asking to confiscate their family heirloom? Not quite, yet."
Give it time and it'll get there, though. Well before she's comfortable playing music for an audience.

[damncompass]

"Still, you are so many different kinds of awesome." Joshua sighs. "You are much better than you think."

[claudiometer]

Up goes an eyebrow. "So are you. I at least know I'm awesome at something."

[damncompass]

"This is not about me." He shrugs. "You're the more important one here."

[claudiometer]

"And you're not? I'd be freaking out a lot more if I was facing this prospect all by myself."

[damncompass]

"You'd be fine, Claudia. I know you. No matter what, you'd be fine."

[claudiometer]

"Not my point and you know it."

Eventually, she pulls into the B&B (everyone's going to know she drove back from the parking job alone). "How's your nose?"

[damncompass]

Joshua wiggles his nose a bit, and shrugs. "I think I'm fine. I'll just put some ice on it or something. Pretty sure at this point that it's not broken."

[claudiometer]

"Well, it's not bleeding anymore, at least. Shall we head in?"
She's taking the lack of blood as a sign she doesn't have to call Dr. Vanessa.

[damncompass]

"Yeah. That sounds good." He shuffles into the living room, flopping backwards onto the couch with little attention to what or who is already there.