Derek Souza (edisonwolf) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-03-12 20:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, bast, derek souza |
Who: Bast and Derek
What: Coffee
Where: Coffee shop
When: Late February
Rating: Low
Status: Complete!
Derek had never been great at making friends. In fact he usually tried to avoid it. Growing up he had his brother and that had always been enough for him. Simon was the popular one and Derek was just the awkward side kick. He had been away from his brother for years now and it was starting to get lonely. At first Derek still had his walls up, afraid to get close to anyone. To hurt anyone, especially after what happened. But lately, thanks to the encouragement of his therapist, he had let a few people in.
The fact that there were other dreamers out there made it somewhat easier for him. He had something in common with them, something he could talk about. Some people on the network were friendlier than others and Bast was one of those people. So Derek had texted her to meet for coffee. Which is precisely what he was doing at the moment. He had already gotten his espresso macchiato and a table, waiting for Bast. Derek, of course, was early as usual.
Bast was good at making friends, but apparently not as good at making friends that were able to comprehend what she was experiencing. The dreams, the strange things that happened around the OC. None of it was something that the friends she had from work or places like that seemed to be able to relate to. Not that she’d really talked to any of them about it. But when strange things were happening, none of them reported any real knowledge of it. Or they just repeated what the news stations were saying, which wasn’t really what was happening.
So when Derek texted her to ask her to meet him for coffee, she accepted. What was the harm in making new friends? Even if one was particularly dog-like. It would probably be like being around Anubis, though. Only hopefully with him attempting to spook her not being part of the program. Cats and dogs. They never were a really good combination...but she’d met cats that tolerated them when they had been together for quite a while. So stranger things had happened.
Traffic, as it was, was never her friend, but she managed to make it mostly on time. She guessed there were worse things than arriving a little later than you meant to, though. Walking through the door, Bast let out a small sigh before looking around. Ah. There he was. She waved before walking over. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you outside of the internet.”
Derek stood up from the table to shake Bast’s hand. He was a bit on the formal side. “Yeah, nice to meet you as well.” He managed a small smile which was rare for the werewolf. “I figured it was best to save a table.” Coffee shops could get quite packed after all. Although there were about two other empty tables at the moment, but Derek was always on top of things. “I can wait, while you get your coffee.”
Bast was used to formal. T’Challa was very formal. Usually. Ignoring the occasions when he wasn’t formal, but that wasn’t really important to focus on. She shook his hand, giving him her own smile. Her smile wasn’t so rare, but when you were the goddess of joy, that was bound to happen. “You’re very smart. I see I’ve made a wonderful choice in making a friend out of you.” She moved to order herself a latte, waiting until after she’d gotten it to come back and sit down. “So what did you get for yourself?”
“Espresso macchiato,” Derek said getting straight to the answer. He was usually on the blunt side. As for the espresso, he needed the caffeine. Med school and working full time didn’t leave much time for sleep. “So,” he began. Small talk wasn’t his strong suit. “What do you do for a living?”
Bast nodded at his choice. She’d never tried it, but she made a mental note to look into it at a later date. Still, while most of the people she seemed drawn to being friends with were hideous at small talk, Bast was not deterred. Not even if it meant that she had to do the majority of the talking at first. She’d get them to open up eventually. “I started as a police office, but I found that I preferred being a bodyguard in the end. You get to know the people you’re working with a lot better and so it makes it less of a vague, generalized protection and a specific, slightly more intimate sort of protection.” Which she felt, as Bast, was more appropriate for the person she was. “Of course, I don’t have any set person these days. I’m in between clients as it were, but I don’t mind security detail too much. I’ll find someone eventually, I’m sure.” She smiled at him. “And what do you do, my new friend?”
Well that was not what Derek was expecting. But he liked it. It fit her. And Derek was fiercely protective of the people he cared about. The fact that Bast could take care of herself as well as others was reassuring. Hell it was a relief. Megara could also take care of herself, but that didn’t stop Derek from worrying or trying to look out for his best friend.
“Impressive,” he finally said. “That’s an honorable career choice.” He was referring more to the cop thing than the bodyguard thing with that statement. “Is it hard for you when you switch clients? Saying goodbye to the old one?” He hope that didn’t always mean they died. “I’m an aspiring geneticist. A research assistant for the time being.”
Bast shrugged a little. She guessed that it was honorable. She thought maybe a little more impressive than honorable, but she was also considering that he meant the current job and not the police officer job. “It can be a little difficult. It’s sort of like saying goodbye to a really close friend, but I guess you aren’t exactly really close friends either. There’s usually some air of professionalism lingering around. Sort of.”
When he mentioned what he was doing, Bast found herself giving him a slight look. “And you think I’m the impressive one? I’d never make it through the schooling for that.”
“I can imagine. Even with the professionalism, spending so much time with someone you must form some sort of friendship.” Unless you were Derek, who barely ever talked and probably wouldn’t speak to his client if he was a bodyguard. But not everyone was Derek. “It is a lot of school,” he agreed. But then Derek always liked school. He felt most himself when he was studying or in a lab, or out for a run but that had nothing to do with becoming a geneticist.
Bast nodded. It was still difficult. She wasn’t good at keeping to herself and not getting close to others. That’s why she was able to make friends so quickly. “I get the feeling you’re not used to talking to people a lot.” She smiled, but she kept herself from laughing...for now. “What it is about genetics that drew you in? I’m sure there’s got to be a story behind it.” Or not, but if there was, she’d try to weasel it out of him. “You’re free to give details and get a little long-winded if you’d like to. I promise I’ll pay attention the whole time.”
It was a little ironic now, that he was studying genetics, Given the fact that in his dreams, his own genes were literally experimented on. Trying to make his powers lessen, but instead just amplifying it. On the other hand it worked for his brother who was a warlock, not a werewolf, and often struggled with casting spells. But that wasn’t Bast’s question.
“Well,” he said taking a sip of his caffeinated beverage. “I was adopted. And while I never wanted to meet or find my biological parents, I did want to know more about myself. My heredity, my genes. My dad couldn’t tell me, so I took and interest in genetics.” And the rest was history.
“Oh. Were you?” She’d met people before who had been adopted. It was different with each person, she thought, when it came to how they dealt with that information. Derek’s way of figuring things out was certainly unique. “My story doesn’t seem nearly as interesting. I guess I’ve always just liked the protection gig. And Police Academy was easy enough. I already knew a lot of fighting techniques, so that part wasn’t actually the complicated part for me.” But being an officer, while it had been about protecting people, was mostly about the fact that her dad’s mental health had deteriorated and she needed to have a steady-ish income to pay for his care and medicines. But now with him in a nursing home, there was a lot more costs. Security detail and working for people that had a lot more money than she did helped out more with that. Still, she had enjoyed that more than being a police officer. It was lucky that she’d found something she liked.
“My dad can’t really help me with anything, though. Early onset Alzheimer’s. Something to look forward to, maybe.” It didn’t sound as much like a joke as she’d hoped, but she was also bad at laughing at it. Maybe because the dreams and everything with Isis only helped color it more. Isis was a pain. “But onto brighter topics. Like...almost anything else.” A pause. “Like your favorite part of this week and what made it so wonderful. It’s okay if meeting me is it, I won’t tease you too much.”
Alzheimer’s was genetic. Which it seemed like Bast already knew with her not so subtle comment that didn’t sound like a joke at all to Derek. But then he wasn’t much of the joking type, so even if it had come out as more of a joke Derek probably wouldn’t have caught on anyway. “There are tests for that, if you wanted to know.” Derek could even perform them himself. But that was up to Bast. Some people preferred not to, which he understood. He’d personally want to be prepared, but that was just him.
“Actually it was,” Derek said with a half smile. “I don’t get out much.” Which meant making new friends was rare for him, Of course it was exciting. However if she had asked him last week he probably would have said werewolf transform. Well maybe not have admitted that, but it was certainly the most interesting thing that had happened to him lately. “What about you?”
Bast didn’t really know if she had to worry about it as she was now. At least not in the way her father had. That was the thing about being an Egyptian goddess. She needed people to believe in her, needed people to still know she was real or she was doomed to becoming some senile old coot. Maybe she would get older and more senile, but she had gone this long without any real signs of aging. People still believed in her and worshipped her in the dreams and she’d been okay. She had followers and the magicians may not have followed the path of the gods anymore, but they knew they existed. People here? She was never entirely certain of. “I’m not sure I need them. I’m...well, I’ll probably be okay. At least in regards to that.” A pause. “Well, genetically speaking. Who knows about the alternative.” Gods in Egypt, let people still remember her and believe in her.
“Well, consider me flattered, then. I do like to be a bright part of the lives of others.” She smiled a little. As for what had made her week. Well, that was something to really consider. “No dreams. And amazing coffee. That’s definitely made my week.” Because the dreams were difficult. “Oh...and I did find a really nice pair of sunglasses, but I haven’t worn them yet. I keep forgetting. Maybe I’m in trouble already.” Ha ha. Another joke, but this one didn’t fall nearly as flat as the last one.
“Alternative?” Derek considered himself pretty smart but he wasn’t following what Bast was saying. There wasn’t much of an alternative to genetics if you asked him. Even with all the magic that happened around this place.
“No dreams is always a good thing.” He hated dreaming. Seeing himself as a scared teenager on the run from evil scientists. It was like something out of some cheesy scary movie if you asked him. “Well I’m glad I picked a good coffee shop then,” he smirked and that was as close as Derek got to a joke.
Bast gave him a small smile. “Stipulation, you see. Gods live forever for the most part, but people have to believe in them or…” She paused. “Well, it’s a bit like very severe dementia.” That or Isis tricked someone and got them to reveal their secret name and then that person had control over them. “There’s a few limitations that one might not actually expect.” You could get stuck in the Duat for a long time, unable to get out for however long it took. She did not need to get stuck in the Duat. She had to wonder if the Duat existed here. She hadn’t attempted to use it for transportation as of yet. Maybe she’d try it. Hopefully she wouldn’t get stuck.
“I’ve found it to be. Dreaming about Set trying to destroy the world is tiring. You’d think he’d be a little less annoying about it, but no. Try to kill your family, why don’t you?” Really. He was close enough to Isis in that way that she found herself disgruntled by it. “But this wouldn’t really be the first time, would it? Osiris learned the hard way.” Really, Nephthys and Osiris were the two more sensible people of the four. “Good on you, though. You are good at picking coffee shops.”
“So that carried over here,” Derek nodded. It made some sense. It was strange all the dream things that carried over. “I’m sorry about your dad,” he added sincerely. “I’m glad I could provide. I live off this stuff.” To prove his point he lifted up his cup and finished off the rest of his drink. That’d keep him going enough to get through his next study session.