Feb 16 05:23:22 106 PA

From Chronicles

Given the fact that he is actually expecting a guest, Leonard leaves the door unlocked as he works. Or perhaps the correct term should be juggles, as he moves between a book upon the counter and the appliances nearby. At least he has not been a resident long enough for the mostly unused artifacts to gather dust.

The abode as a whole is an odd combination of spartan and opulent, with the any supplied furniture and drapery replaced with those of a much higher scale. Despite the blatant focus on comfort and expression of the furnishings, the readily visible space does not yet appear 'lived in.' Either he does not lounge around all day in front of a vid screen eating snacks, or it simply hasn't begun to show. At least he did not need rush around to tidy up.

It'll be a few hours before Vixen comes around, as she predicted. And the arrival will be a quiet one. Coming into the Carafe, she pauses in the lobby, casually taking a final draw on her cig before casually stubbing it out carefully on the edge of the produced case. Under the baleful glare of someone in the lobby. Front door man? Resident? She doesn't know. Doesn't really care either as the person is given a casual grin before she slips the remains into the case, then secrets the case away again. She casually undoes her coat as she moves deeper into the building. Still wearing that distinctive catsuit, apparently not having a mind to dress special. A few minutes later, she'll stride up to the door. Not assuming, it seems, as a firm knock will be heard.

It might just take that long for one accustomed to only the extremes of the food spectrum to discover the intricacies of real food preparation, much less burning it. Leonard sets his tools and consternation aside a moment to come to the door and open it. His smile barely hesitates; he may not have expected anyone else. "Welcome to my humble abode. I take it no last-minute invasions or proposals have sprung up?" Leonard motions her inside with his free hand and a chuckle.

Vixen snorts faintly at that last, taking the invitation without much pause. And, of course, inspecting the new territory as she steps in. "What would you say if there was? Either way, passing up free food is hardly something most people do," she responds idly, coming to a pause several steps in to inspect. A soft noise of indefinable meaning breathed in the wake of that. She slips off her satchel and starts removing the heavy coat as she turns, the colored garment offered up to Leo to handle. It weighs at least ten pounds, perhaps not too unexpected considering the obvious and more discreet armoring of it.

Leonard manages to not drop the mildly unexpected weight, avoiding his first host faux pas, and hangs it next to his cloak. "I just hope that the food will be worth your expense..." He grins as he turns back from the hanging of things. "How blackened do you like your salad?" It might be a geniune question, or an attempt at deadpan revenge. "Well done," Vixen deadpans back, though the effect might be reduced by the sly curl to her lips. She has no issue making herself at home as first thing she'll stride over to the couch or other most comfortable seating place in the main room to drop herself onto. She sits in a relaxed manner, an arm over the side of the couch, leaned a little into it with her legs extended naturally before her. "Not a bad place you got here.. a little showy for my tastes, but I could get used to this sort of thing."

"If I'm going to live here, and occasionally entertain guests," Leonard rolls his shoulders, "we might as well all be comfortable. Care for a drink?" The clinking of classes belie his presumptions of her reply.

Vixen cocks her head slightly at the sound, a little smirk playing across her lips. "Sure.. surprise me." She glances around then and considers. "Comfortable, I guess.. but a few beanbag chairs could be just as comfortable I guess. Or maybe I'm just used to that sort of thing more." Her shoulders roll, despite the likelihood that he won't see it. "Nothing wrong with this, though. Heck, if I ever get rich, I'd probably buy stuff like this. Just cause I could."

Leonard emerges from the kitchen bearing two glasses in one hand, two bottles in the other. "It must jbe us crazy masters of magic that like the frills. Or just me..." The wine and flavored tequila might not be a surprise, but she has a choice. He sets all down upon the table. "Pick your poison, dear lady.

"Nah, seen plenty of ordinary sorts that like the glitz," Vixen replies. Perking some as he emerges once more with some liquid refreshment of a sort. Whether or not it's a surprise, she goes for the tequila at once, seeming amused as she pours herself a conservative amount. "Looks like someone got hooked," she comments, giving the man a sidelong glance as she sits back again. Not making a choice for him on that either. "Or trying to be impressive.." A slyness in those words before she sips lightly from her glass.

"Both, actually." He offers a rather wry-free smile as he pours himself a glass of wine. Leonard now settles onto the couch alongside and sips. "I will try not to fight you for the bottle, or fall over in a drunken stupor. How was the rest of your shopping day?"

"Too early to drink too much. I'm not that bad," Vixen counters with an amused curl of lips. "Went fine.. trying to find a good clothes place here ain't so easy though. Place I knew before went out of business. So now I gotta find a new one. With some people that know what the hell they're doing." She sips from her glass again, then points out, "Most places can sell you something nice, but start talking about custom things and they just don't know what they're doing."

Leonard chuckles. "You would look stunning in most anything, I think..." He pauses for another small sip before setting his glass down. "I'm not a tailor, though, or much of a clothes expert. As long as it does what you want it to do, and is comfortable..." A slight shrug follows.

Vixen snorts faintly and eyes Leo. "How do you know? Never seen how I dress at home. Ain't always tight leather you know." Amused, she adds, "I love clothes. And I keep a pretty broad wardrobe. People got all sorts of art..even me. But how you dress, that's art too. Says a lot about who you are.. or at least who you want people to think you are. Though I don't think that deeply over it. I just let instinct guide me to what's right."

"Well, impressing others or expressing yourself can be part of 'what you want them to do,'" He smiles even as his eyes lower from hers to the rest and return. "There is also nothing wrong with tight leather." A wink follows and his glass is retrieved again before he adds, "On you. I don't think that I could manage it without looking... odd."

Vixen chuckles lowly at that, showing a light pleasure at the compliments. She lifts the glass for a more substantial draw before she sets it down and eyes Leo. "Not a catsuit.. but some nice pants couldn't hurt." She smirks then and adds, "Just how tight depends on how confident you are in what you got to show off." Given t he snugness of her own garb, she's confident enough. "I don't try to impress no one, though. Cause in the end it don't matter much to me what they think."

Leonard arches a brow at her statement. "You seem very interested in what others think. Maybe not about yourself, but most everything else. That's what I've gleaned from your broadcasts, at least. Of course, if you were completely uncaring of opinions, you wouldn't enjoy deserved compliments."

Vixen laughs lightly at that and shakes her head. "Well, when its my job to care, I care. But when it comes to what I wear when its just for me, I don't care." She lifts her hand in an airy motion adding, "I might dress up for some formal thing if I was broadcasting from it, but that's just being smart when it comes to blending and mingling for a story. Like wearing a uniform to work. You do it cause you have to. If you don't, you're less effective."

"Independent, confident... I like that." Leonard's opinion might be a little redundant, since she's hardly been anything but, though it seems honest enough. "Probably not a rare thing here, though. I think I could get used to people actually having an opinion and the strength to share it publicly. Not to mention the library..." "I don't think I'd be in the business I'm in if I didn't have it in me to state the truth," Vixen replies, her amusement lingering lightly. "That don't mean I'm stupid.. I know when to hold my tongue.. usually. But yeah, I figure if you got something to say, you might as well just come right out and say it. Being afraid of denting people with some real words is worse than dealing with the aftermath once it's all out in the open." She hikes a brow. "Not everyone around here is like that, though. Why, you know some that are?"

Leonard chuckles and rolls his shoulders. "I know very few people here, so far. Before that, I was under Prosek's shadow. Inviduality, opinions, and the truth could be rather dangerous. I am just glad there were a few who were the minority. Otherwise, I'd still be there doing who knows what."

Vixen shrugs her shoulders slightly, then gets a thoughtful look on her face. "You know.. never had much contact with someone fresh outta skull-land. Bet a lot of people are the same way." She inspects the man casually as she wonders, "You wouldn't be adverse to an interview later, would you? A little talk about what went on with you back there. Some real personal experiences."

"As unpleasant as the subject is," Leonard's pleasant smile fades for a moment at a memory or three before renewing, "I don't think I could object to more of your company." A mildly annoying chime erupts from the kitchen, reminding him of her stated motive for her visit. He sets his glass down and moves to rise. "I think your free meal is nearly done."

"The suspense is killing me," Vixen quips back lightly. As he rises, she picks up her glass again to take a more substantial sip, then will continue on, her voice lifting enough to he heard easily even if he goes back to the kitchen for a bit. "It's about understanding, man. The more you know, the easier it is to make decision. Half the stuff I hear about what its like in Coalition cities is rumor and wild stories. Can't be sure half of it is even close to real. But you seem stable enough to give some straight info."

"Stable? Your flattery is overwhelming..." His chuckle is drowned out by a bit of clanging around and the growing aroma of meat. "I can share what I know is fact as I've seen it." Leonard returns with a a pair of plates and dinnerware, turning the low table into an informal place for a feast.

His second trip brings a tray that bears, in addition to its shiny sales tag, a pot bearing roast and assorted vegetables, mixed salad, and bread. Nothing extravagant or requiring much skill, but sufficient. He hopes.

"You know what I mean.. lots of people from that area aren't very reliable as sources," Vixen states, dipping into 'work talk' easily. "See, when it comes to the information game you gotta have an ear and an eye for picking your sources. Not so easy as walking up to someone to ask questions, you gotta get a sense for if you can trust someone. Not an exact science and a lot of times you'll get someone that don't know what they're talking about, pretending they do. Or someone that's got things so jumbled in their head, it's garbage." All said as he brings out the silverware and plates, she casually observing him. "You, I think I can trust you know what your talking about. And that you can deliver it well." She perks slightly when the tray comes out, the smell of food growing stronger. "Not bad.. I tend to eat pretty light most times." Offered with a casual grin.

Leonard nods, setting the tray down to allow her to serve herself whatever mix and portion she would prefer. "Then I will take both as compliments. I can't say my opinions of skull-town won't be biased, of course. They did rush me out under fire, and..." His voice catches a moment before he recovers, perhaps poorly, "... not very politely."

Vixen leans forward to get the carving knife and fork without much delay. Though she's halfway into cutting into the meat when he catches, she pausing to glance at him. She shifts, giving him a bump with her shoulder. "We can drop it. Tell me something.. funny. Or happy or whatever." With that said, she turns back to slicing into the meat. She cuts herself a pretty big slice, considering her slight frame. Dropping that slab into place before getting a mess of vegetables to go with it and a hunk of bread before her plate is drawn into her lap with a smaller knife and fork.

The bump seems to work as well as the offer, which he takes with a somewhat grateful smile. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? You're not usually on the other end of the interview, I'd guess." He pulls a bit of everything onto his own plate as he continues, "Like you said, it's all about understanding. The more you know... and, well, I'm curious."

Vixen smirks faintly and gives Leo a casual look. "Guess that depends what you want to know about. There's a lot to know.. and while some of it might get said, not all will. Everyone has their little secrets." She then focuses a good deal of attention to the food. Now, while Vixen doesn't put on airs, she does eat with a modicum of manners, mingled with an obvious edge of hunger.

"Whatever you wish to share. Past, present... something in between?" Leo chuckles easily. "I'm not looking for the skeletons in your closet... if there's room for any behind all the clothes." His interest is admitted and apparent, but not rushed. Nor is he the epitome of fine dining, as he finally samples his food while allowing her to eat. He seems to have pleasantly surprised himself, too, judging by his expression.

Vixen smirks faintly, but for a few moments at least, will enjoy her food without offering. A big bite of the meat, some salad and a start to tearing a hunk of her bread free before she gives her shoulders a subtle roll. "Not really used to talking about me much. Used to live in the Dregs before I left. So I still have an eye and ear for the place. A sense for the streets. Not that a sense like that is easy to keep track of, the place changes every day. After a few years, the landscape might as well have been like some other dimension."

Leonard nods as he listens, with a bite of meat here and a bit of potato there. His attention is more upon her than the meal, though he would avoid shoveling like a starving man even if it were not. "Not the most stable place, I'm sure. The sprawl I was raised in was little better, so I do understand the streets, and why you would want to leave them."

Vixen shakes her head slightly. "Taken along," she corrects. "I didn't mind the Dregs too much.. though my family wasn't the lowest of the low. So I guess I didn't get that sort of taste, but it wasn't like I didn't see that most days either." She prods her fork at him. "But I hear the Coalition does sweeps in those areas. Here, Kingsdale doesn't send anyone in there. Ever. It's no rules, 24/7. You'd do well to remember that. Only rules are the ones you can enforce. Or whoever else has the biggest gun."

"I don't see myself visiting often, but I will remember that." He nods, smirking, "I like to stay breathing... Yes, there were sweeps, but they only made things worse if they thought you were a threat, thought your ears were too pointed, or just didn't like you. No rules was usually safer for most of us, since the soldiers tended to have the biggest guns, and more of them."

Vixen snorts faintly, the sound a bit muffled with a mouthful of food, but she refrains from speaking until she's cleared it out. "Sounds like some shit," she states plainly. "Me, I'm just fine being out of there. After seeing a bit of what's out there, lost my taste for the place in anything but small doses." She grins faintly. "What'd you do before you started doing magic? Runner?"

Leonard lifts both brows at her question, or, rather, her educated guess. "You DO have an eye for people..." Leonard then nods. "Although that is the standard use for someone too young or too unimpressive to be muscle, and I was both at the time... and a few credits or real food was a vast fortune."

"I hear ya on that." Vixen chuckles lowly and shakes her head. "If you'd have told me I'd have enough cred to buy up the gear I got now back then, I would have told you to quit dreaming." She nudges her fork in his direction again, noting, "Not hard at times to tell with people. Don't want a runner that's too stupid, they get caught easy. You want 'em just stupid enough to do the work and do it well." she pauses a moment, then gives her shoulders a casual roll. "Well, if I was in that kind of business. But I'm legit."

"As if I expected to find myself here, like this..." Leonard can't help but loose a soft laugh as he motions his fork absently around the room. "At one time, I thought reading a book was as mystical and frightening a power as reading thoughts." His head shakes with a bemused sigh, then meets her gaze with a slightly wry smile. "The present has turned out to be a much better future than I imagined, and I am glad for it."

Vixen considers Leo as she enjoys another mouthful. Already having dug deep into the slab of meat she selected for herself. "Ditto, though that makes me wonder.. now that you got this far, what do you see coming down the like now?" Her brows rise slightly with that question. "After all, not like you have so many limits hanging over your head as you did then."

Leonard considers his response as he washes down his most recent mouthful with a sip of wine. The possibility of double entendre, which he wonders might be her 'Word(s)', certainly makes the conversation interesting. "Every success encourages me to find the next challenge, and every failure to try harder the next time. I can't foretell the future, but I'm not afraid of it. Anything is possible if you try hard enough."

The question was simple enough and Vixen even delivered it with that straight tone of hers. Of course, that tone has been a veil to jest before. In either case, she smirks faintly in response to his words. "I guess that's a pretty good outlook to have," she decides, letting the ambiguity of the moment linger. "So your turn.. go on, ask me something." Prompted before she snags up her glass, downing a quick swallow of the tequila before she digs into the food again.

"What inspired you to do what you do?" The question comes from Leonard easily enough. "Discovering opinion and truth, the sharing it is not a crusade that would be popular in a place like the Dregs." Though she mentioned leaving it, he knows not to where or why.

Vixen laughs lowly. "Most people would love it," she counters. "The gangs, not so much. The dealers and all that.. not so much. But everyone else? Yeah, they'd love it." She starts cutting into her next piece as she speaks, "How'd I get started?" She pauses, considering back. "Lets just say that it was a slow thing. There's a lot of ignorance out there. A lot of people that just don't know. Not just in the Dregs and around the Coalition, but out there in the wild places. I figure I get about.. 300 miles of coverage with my gear." She glances towards him and grins. "Might be a few people in need of the word out there. Hopefully some of them will come across my broadcast.

Leonard echoes the laugh. "Well, it is the angry ones with the weapons that discourage people... some of them, at least. You are right, though... There is too much ignorance, and I wouldn't want others to take advantage of it as the Coaltion has."

"They will anyway, but I like what I'm doing.. so even if it ain't effecting much, I'll blissfully continue on," Vixen says. "And as long as I can live on it. Not much good doing what's going to bury you in debt. But so far I'm alright." She grins and spears the last bit of meat. She's just about done with her chosen portions.

"Kingsdale seems fairly enlightened to me, and better for it." The fork is returned to Leonard's plate, unused for the past few minutes. His emptied hand reaches out to pat her thigh at the knee, not that she seems to need much reassurance. "Your efforts will make a difference, if they haven't already... and a positive one."

Vixen is just setting her plate aside as Leo reaches out to pat her knee. She glances down at the spot patted, then back up towards him with a soft bemusement in her gaze. "What the hell was that? Some kinda grandma pat?" Again, she sounds amused, rather than upset. "I'll let the results speak for what good my work is worth. Either way, it don't matter. I enjoy it. Everything else is just icing."

Leonard rolls his shoulders in a slight shrug. "I didn't think that a kiss for good luck was appropriate?... You were still chewing, afterall." His lips curl a bit further and nods. "Mayhap the results would be the best measure. I am a little biased."

Vixen laughs lowly, picking up her glass. She lift sit to take a swallow of the rest of her Tequila. "Time will tell," she says. She then moves as if to rise, only to translate the motion into a turn and casual straddle of Leo's lap. She puts her hands on his shoulders and looks him in the eye. "Sometimes you just have to go for it, you know?" Then the young woman will lean in to kiss him. No matter what he might be hoping for, she aims for something that is firm, but brief. Just as ambiguous as many other moments when it comes to her. And after she leans back slightly and states, "For the food."

Despite his conspicuous interest, Leonard may well have been less surprised had Vixen slugged him in the jaw. By the time he can react, the kiss has passed. His hands begin to lift, perhaps for an embrace, but stop and lower to rest on her legs in a somewhat neutral fashion. "...You're ...welcome?" When in doubt, smile seems the fallback for the man who was promoting the same 'go for it' attitude just a few minutes before.

"And you're cute," Vixen tells him, amused by his responses given her lingering grin. She casually lifts an arm, giving his cheek a light pat with her fingertips before she dismounts smoothly. "Best get along, got some stuff I want to do before it gets too late." Vixen turning to walk over to where her bag and coat were left, lifting the heavy garment off the hook.

Leonard does nothing to prevent her rise, and also stands, smile having stuck on his lips. "I am glad you enjoyed the food." He steps after to see her to the door, and perhaps extend the close proximity a touch longer in some respect. "Maybe next time I should try to plan a dessert?"

Vixen slips on her coat and tosses the strap of her satchel over her shoulder, turning to meet him at the door. His words prompt a low chuckle from her ad she she comes up to pause at the door itself. "Desert, huh? Sure, you go right ahead. Initiative like that should be encouraged. Be good." She'll pass him and step out, nudging his hip with a bump of hers as she passes. The cig case coming out as she walks down the hall.

"I will try..." Leonard offers a chuckle on her way out. "You do the same, Vixen, and good evening."