Beauty & The Beast

[Brian]

N'dovu nods thoughtfully.  "Perhaps," he says after a moment.  "When I was younger, I was marked to be more acceptible to the spirits.  They speak to me, but I can only hear them when I allow my own spirit to become somewhat ... unattached from myself.  I practice, twice a week, to try and learn to speak with the spirits without using medicine, but so far, I have not attained mastery of the trick."  N'dovu shrugs, realizing that the woman might not be able to see it.  "Do you need to speak with a spirit?"

[Carthrat]

"So you use the drugs as part of a form of meditation?" replies the woman, nodding thoughtfully.

Now that you've had a chance to look over her, you note that she's quite pretty. Well, by American standards, anyway. She has neatly combed, straight brown hair, a cute face, and she's dressed in a long-ish brown skirt and jumper.

[Brian]

"I have heard that from others, yes," N'dovu says, nodding.  "Many Rastafari believe that, though we do not share a faith."

[Carthrat]

"Interesting," she replies, nodding. "And this.. distancing of mind requires training, yes? What sort of drugs do you use?"

[Brian]

N'dovu frowns.  "Powerful medicine," he says.  "I have drunk the honey of cactus, and eaten of the most vile machinations of men.  But do not confuse medicine with drugs.  Medicine has power and purpose.  Drugs are merely a distraction from the path.  A crutch."  N'dovu shakes his head.  It's unlikely the woman wants to be preached to.  "But call them that if you prefer," he allows.

[Carthrat]

"I would very much like to see it in action," replies the woman. "Oh, I'll pay you, of course. It's part of a research project I'm undertaking."

[Brian]

N'dovu blinks, and opens his mouth to reply, but thinks better of it, and instead studies the woman for a long moment.  Finally, he says, "For science, then."  He hasn't actually agreed to it yet, and that's because he's mulling it over.

This setup is way too obvious to be a police sting.  His managers had warned him about those, but Dr. James was reasonably confident that N'dovu could claim it was for religious purposes, and the law wouldn't bother him too much.  But at the same time....

Then again, N'dovu realized, maybe they were sent by spirits.  Even if they didn't know.

"Yes," he says, just before the woman looks about to speak again.  "I will help you with this endeavor.  I must ask a friend for advice, and cannot do so without your experiment."

[Carthrat]

The man gives a start, apparently not expecting N'Dovu to have agreed.

"Really? That's wonderful!" replies the woman, nodding. "Cash or cheque?"

[Brian]

N'dovu leans back slightly, looking up at the nearly cloudless sky.  "Cash," he says after a moment.  "But I will need to know what time this is to happen at, and where.  I do have other duties to attend."

[Carthrat]

"Well, when are you free?" replies Angela, nodding. "We have a small centre in San Fran, but it'd be much better if you could come to Osaka."

[Brian]

"Osaka?" N'dovu muses.  "Is that north of Oakland?"  He shakes his head, as he doesn't drive.  "It would be easier for me to do it in this city.  I don't have as much walking time between working days as some might."

[Carthrat]

"Well, maybe you could drop by the lab tomorrow," replies Angela. "Anytime in the morning would be great."

Those empty, rarely-blinking white orbs are starting to get a little unnerving. They really don't seem to suit such an animate face.

"Here, take this card," she continues, producing one. "It's got the address and everything on it."

[Brian]

N'dovu nods silently, and accepts the card, not unused to seeing people of strange appearances, given his own reflection in the mirror in the morning.  "Then tomorrow morning," he says, wondering what he should ask King Shaka.  Perhaps this is what Shaka was waiting for?

If only he could surpass his reliance on medicine....

[Carthrat]

"Great!"  she replies, nodding. "I'm willing to pay you two thousand dollars per visit. I might ask for you to come back, do you think you'd be able to?"

[Brian]

N'dovu blinks very slowly at this, and looks warily at the man who's probably a bodyguard.

"It may be possible," N'dovu says after a moment.  "Spirits willing."