It only took a quick private plane reservation and submerged vehicle, but a distant Vera Hanley has been home for a few hours now, tending to a proper Italian dish and her massive log of notes. When she reviews her notes concerning today's events, she stops chewing her food and spits some of it back on the dish. "Why did I abandon the interview? Hello?" She wasn't on an official assignment, but any interview, on or off the clock, would end when she said it'd end-- or something severe happened. And Vera terminated it because someone, this Silver, asked her to?
About thirty minutes later, Silver receives a phone number with international digits.
Silver's has just barely made herself comfortable back at home when she has to turn the TV on mute. She isn't even sure what she's looking at yet, but odds are it really doesn't matter. What she does know is that generally, taking a call is better than missing them. Just in case something in her vast web of influences has gone awry and needs to be attended to.
"Hello, you are talking to Silver. How may I help you?" It's a trained voice, formal and businesslike. A good fallback, considering she doesn't want her current mood to bleed into the conversation.
"Last time we talked you didn't seem eager to answer me. So this time I have a single question for you: Silver, how did you make me leave the café?" She has a pristine speaking voice, Vera, and she so often uses it for the most unpleasant of exchanges. She continues, glossing over her plan outline, "I am certain it was your fault. I would never, for any reason, cut an interview because someone smiled and asked. Let's gut that misconception."
Oh, god. Not this, not now. Not her. Silver could never have realized that Vera's this level of workaholic and stubborn that she'd piece together matters just from being dismissed once. She'd have poor hopes of convincing her way out of a one on one meeting, let alone over the phone.
"I do not know what you're talking about, Miss Blogger. You seemed a bit unwell, I think I recall, are you sure you really just weren't up for it? The atmosphere in the café was pretty heavy." She dares not infuse any degree of influence in her words. Vera would notice something being off with Silver's tone well before it had any real effect, and it's obvious she's very set in her ways.
"Silver, I don't need anyone to decipher my own intentions. I'm well aware of what I desire." She pauses while she notes an abbreviated version of this dismissive claim. Town AI would have a backup of this entire exchange anyway. "It's precedent that Shape meets magical people. I won't go in further detail, however this leads me to believe, combined with the case I've presented so far, that you're magical or bear technology that is indistinguishable from magic." That's a familiar quote. "Evidently, I'm going to work out the details. With or without your assistance. At least apologize to me, manipulator."
Vera can practically hear the eye-rolling in Silver's voice as she puts on her snarkiest-but-still-dignified tone.
"Fine. I'm so sorry for being a big bad evil witch sorceress who's here to cause mayhem and destruction by convincing poor innocent interrogators that they have unusual mood swings."
Something about Vera's tone and mannerisms is quite upsetting though, she's very professional and proper - there's little chance she's just a casual hobby blogger like it seemed at first. And she's aware of Shape's magic, and about its, even to Silver, somewhat more frequent abundance. She's a threat, much more so than Shape. "Listen, I do not know what you want, but what I want is to get some well-earned rest. It's been a very long day. So I'd appreciate if you would... Actually? Where did you get my number, anyhow? I can't recall giving it to you."
She adjusts the position of the tablet, causing noise to register in the microphone, and then she says, "I believe that's sarcasm, although I'd believe it... Sorry that you're exhausted, however I wanted a real apology. And, beyond this call, the truth." She continues, "I convinced Shape using 'cool magic powers' to share your phone number. I have burner numbers as well, and therefore I will be able to call often."
Silver is not going to back down from this easily. Not only is she hard in her ways, she also has a lot riding on this and would rather wait out a real conversation if she is to ever confide anything at all. "I generally consider apologies to be relevant when there are actual things to apologize for. They're not like candy, treats that you give to fussy kids just because it'll help their odd moods. Makes sense that Shape would confide in you, a lovely friend you have there. Quite enjoyable. You could learn a thing or two from him, about being a pleasant person who is fun to talk to." Silver takes a note to not block the number, like she intended to.
"The only child here is you," she mumbles. "A child would demand someone to leave them to their candy. A child would cry and make demands that way, like you do, and try to keep foul secrets. You think you're better than me. No matter. Have you been properly acquainted to Shape? I know everything you could desire to know. He's not all he's hyped to be." She takes more of her now cold food in, and mutes the microphone for this. She's finding something out of this other than information, at least, before she should hang up unsatisfied.
Silver sighs audibly. "I don't know what your deal is, girlie, but you're surprisingly petulant for a blogger. I thought those generally strived to be popular in some sense. I'll do my own research on Shape in due time, so please keep this a spoiler free zone. So far, my choices of interaction seem to be him and you, and you seem less appealing let alone a choice, considering you've already threatened to roleplay as a marketing caller with your various phones. I'll give you one more snide comment, and I'll then push the red button on my phone that makes me not have to listen to you anymore. Unless you want to offer some actually useful insight instead."
"Well, the organic yerba mate I posted about in my lifestyle blog must keep me focused." She grins to herself. Not to be seen. She doesn't dwell on the insults other than that about popularity, where she says, "Anyone can be popular if they manipulate the intentions of the people around them. I just ask questions. I have nothing useful to tell you anymore, since you have nothing useful to tell me in exchange, however you should consider cultivating a heart, something full of vesicles people come with. I can lack one too." Vera decides to end the call, and she removes her plate from her bed with a headache.
Silver drops the phone onto the sofa, where it lands face down with a soft 'pufh' sound. She unmutes the television to the middle of some straight person rom-com movie that somehow is still more intriguing that what had just transpired. She'll soon have a late night meal as she is, in fact, in need of actual nutrients. And then try to sleep through processing all of what has happened today. What a hassle.
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A few days later, Vera Hanley initiates another step of her plan she outlined. She brought in her sash her tablet, pocket Taser, and a tool more commonly given to the Town enforcers. She has protective measures and strategies for Silver's unknown magic. And she knocks on the door of the house that Silver has to her name corresponding to the geolocation of the phone. Silver was, unfortunately, not very traceable beyond this. Her name is a metal.
Visitors, so soon? Maybe a neighbor who insists on saying hi. Or maybe Shape. The very thought that it could be Vera doesn't cross Silver's mind until the door is already open. Very must have been looking directly at Silver to catch the generic, inviting smile melt off her face instantly.
"You."
"Hey again. I may have brought a housewarming gift, but I had no knowledge if the tradition was in your cultural background." Vera tries to enter the house, stepping beside Silver. "Let's just keep it professional. I can't convince you to say anything you don't want to say, after all." Vera is speaking louder than last time.
Silver does not object to Vera passing in any way, but interjects. "Awfully bold of you to step into my territory. I'd be concerned about going headfirst into the house of a supposed witch... Apologies. Professional sounds good. Make yourself comfortable, the living room is to the left." She closes the door behind them both. If Vera wants to undress and find a place to put her shoes, that's her own problem. Silver takes the door to the left ahead of her, rendering the comment before mostly moot.
Vera watches Silver's expression, and her lips, as much as she can. Silver's voice is barely audible through these earplugs, after all. She takes her shoes off simply at the front door, and then follows Silver closely into the living room and says, "There's a first time for everything. If anything, I'm excited to be somewhere new with people I don't know much about." Vera sits close to wherever Silver sits or stands, and she retrieves her note device from her sash. "Anything you'd prefer me to write into the record, before I might ask questions? Besides that question, paradoxically."
Silver takes a comfortable relined position on her sofa, house shoes left on the floor, motioning to a chair somewhat adjacent. The result ends up looking, possibly intentionally, like a stereotypical visit to the psychologist. She stares up into the ceiling, partially to mask her expressions a bit and to avoid making eye contact. Surely, this will make matters more complicated for Vera.
"Oh, I still do not know exactly what you're aiming to achieve so I don't actually know where to start. No, Silver is not my real birth name and I have a last name too. But I've made it such a pervasive method of referring to me that those will lead you to less success than just trying to find information about Silver."
"Yeah. Withheld, in the pursuit of knowledge, we take stabs in the dark. It is not always clear what we're aiming to pin with precision." She types some notes, and keeps her eyes steady on Silver's lips. She sits up a bit taller to see them when Silver faces up like this. "Perhaps we should start with the information about yourself that you're comfortable sharing. For example, your chosen alias is Silver; however, what is your age, what is your college reading level?"
"I generally try to be a pleasant conversationalist partner for these reasons. People simply keep talking when you give them a good arena to do so. And relevant things will come up eventually, especially if you ask the right things."
Silver has to make sure she doesn't allude to her... Techniques too much.
"I like to joke that one shouldn't ask a lady her name, I think you have more potentially important reasons to note it down. So... 29 years. A good number. As for reading level, I don't know your weird numbering and descriptive systems so I'll simply say that it's more than sufficient for any and all purposes. I know words."
"When you say 'write into the record', what record may this be anyhow?"
An interesting thing to highlight how people can bleed information, although Vera suspects it could be because Silver is trying to remind herself. Vera tugs her dark hair aside, and she says, "29 years it is. And it's not common enough that I interview such literate candidates. An unusual correlation exists between people living in scrapyards and resources they shouldn't have access to, for instance." In some ways, this pace was boring. But, given it's not an assignment, she lets herself ease her way through. "It's confidential; however I can assure you that it is nothing to trouble yourself with. I'll inform you when there's an issue, and even with your powers I can't admit you're dangerous."
"You remember what I said about relevant things coming up naturally? Now you have me curious about what manner of interview research you have due with people possessing illegal materials. I have my suspicions about you too, you see. Ones actually founded in reasonable observations and conclusions..." She sighs. Don't become snarky again already. No need to make a whole scene out of this. "I'm very curious about this whole powers thing, truly. Yes, I did come across the detail that Shape has some... Unnatural leanings, but is this really such a commonplace thing in your life that you accuse random people of witchcraft?"
"In an alternate universe, I'm sure you're the one working my job. In this one, I prefer to be more matter of fact in my role. You're right to believe that subtle encouragement can reveal more information than originally intended. Maybe you're wrong to assume that I'm all secrets." She sighs, in return. She closes her eyes, and then opens then. If she was going to be anyone to talk about her job in detail with, it should be the career center in Town. She says, anyway, "Yeah. I am certain-- fully assured-- if I did something you weren't in agreement with, you'd wave me away again... Shape does have magical friends, and I've met a few. You're only another. Magic is imprecise, and the rules change, I find."
Silver sits up properly, facing Vera. This is incredibly fluffy and devoid of content, all in all. She tries to make eye contact. Not for magical purposes, but very deliberately.
"I don't see why I'm the one who deserves interrogation when you're acting like some sort of secret agent with magical friends who will pursue business ladies in their own home to go on the most peculiar philosophical tangents. I still don't know what your plan is and I'm realizing more and more that maybe I am the one being played here. What sort of potentially malicious intents are you up to?"
Vera avoids Silver's eyes. It's a bit, well, childlike. "Please, Silver, I'm not a 'secret agent.' There's no James Bond. And I don't see why you think I'm malicious. I genuinely want to know about you in the pursuit of knowledge. And-- assuming you're not defending a painstaking list of evil intentions, past to future, how'd you like me to prove my purpose is understanding what there is to understand about you?" She stows her notetaking device in her sash, and she keeps her hand buried in her sash. Finding the grip on the Taser, and finding the electromagnetic restrainers.
"I'm still quite attached to the point that you managed and decided to pursue me in my own newly obtained housing over the sole point that I... 'Made you leave'?"
Vera seems intimidated. Good. Silver moves closer, instead choosing to sit on the edge of the coffee table. It gives her a bit more height over Vera and closes the gap some.
"I want to understand, want to take you seriously, but it all makes so little sense to me. It becomes more and more natural to me to suppose you have deeper motives. How would you prove this, anyhow? You're all 'confidentiality' and mystery. We both seem to be unable to get anything useful out of this for each our reasons, and you're acting like the part that has anything to gain from it. Who wants to gain something from this. I'm just trying to have a cozy day for myself."
She says, and she grits her teeth initially, "If you came across something you didn't understand, why would you walk away from it? Are you content living in the shadow of the truth?" And then Vera is quiet for a while, and her fingers play lightly on the trigger of the Taser, and she stands up slowly. "Let's assume you're innocent. If I'm convinced it's impossible I left on my own accord, and you're convinced you're a business woman with an immaculate sophistication, then what conclusion could we possibly draw? Are you going to paint a third party? Are you going to continue to accuse me of being wrong about my conviction, and press and press to convince me I am, in fact, evil?" Even standing up, Vera is shorter than Silver. It's not particularly close. She walks closer to the table with Silver. "I asked you how I'd prove this. I do not know how I would. However, I agree. This is quickly pointless-- talking to you. Maybe that's what you wanted to hear?"
Silver stands up too, arms crossed across her chest. There's a threatening closeness between the two now. "Maybe, just maybe, I have better things to do in my life. I am a busy woman. Do you think I achieved the ability to causally take residence in a house like this by chasing fairytales? No, I focus on the things I know are fruitful. I'm getting very tired of this, and I'm getting quite tempted to having you removed from my house, honestly."
Silver pulls her phone out of her pocket, starts pressing some things on the screen.
"I think you'll find there's nothing really magical in making a Disturbance Call to the authorities."
"I'm a busy woman as well. And chasing fairytales is all I do. Or it comprises at least part of my days." Vera swiftly removes the magnetic instruments from her sash, and she slaps their sticky straps on the back of Silver's hands. Silver's phone screen flickers strange colors, and Silver's hands are immediately squeezed together in an incredibly uncomfortable and useless lock, strap to strap of the futuristic handcuffs. The phone drops. This brief time, Vera backs up and shows her Taser, which is a small and buzzing collection of metal pinpricks. "The interview isn't over until I say it's over. Are you going to use your magic now? Come on now, you're useless without it." She bites her lip, and glances around them, before checking Silver's lips again.
Silver swears loudly. Surprising amount of flavor for a dignified woman of her kind. He eyes briefly lock with Vera and there's the subtlest tingle of magical intent to her gaze... But no. It's probably not enough for Vera to be certain, in the moment. The phone is a good way for Silver to distract herself, as she stumbles back into the sofa for fair of falling over and not being able to catch herself.
"You're fucking deranged. You're really lucky I have a fresh backup of most of my data, I could ruin you legally over damage to data and still come out worse than you. This is literally what I was getting at; you're a madwoman with mysterious, questionable affiliations and have the fucking audacity to say I'm the one who's posing an issue here." She lowers her voice some, and rests her cuffed hands inconveniently in front of her face. "Unhand me right now, or I'll do everything in my powers to make your next while a living hell." She knows Vera likely won't be able to understand her, maybe. She wants to test how well those peculiar earplugs work, seeing what fancy technology Vera seems to possess.
Vera faces Silver, and she raises her eyebrow with a dash of whim. At long last, control. "You can sue me if you delight. You can dub me a madwoman, that's alright too. How about we simply wait here for hours? A working class, unthreatening, embarrassing woman like yourself is powerless in this scenario, after all. Since, after all, you claim to be innocent of magic. It doesn't matter if I'm alien or a wizard, what matters is that I have you here as long as I intend-- in an interview or staring contest. Because you're just a white-haired sandbag." Vera simply ignores what she is unable to hear, assured it's along the same lines anyway. She breathes in deeply. "So anyway. Let's keep it professional."
Silver decides that the handcuffs are more interesting that Vera's incessant monologue. She continues speaking in the same tone while her face is occupied by looking at the curious device on her hands. It's some sort of fluffy tirade about her business contacts, about professionalism, about claiming she has so much patience and very few places to be anytime soon. In truth, her thoughts are an endless string of trying to think of how to most effectively get her one shot back at Vera. She's cuffed, and Miss Blogger has a Taser and some amount of ear protections. If she commits and misses, the consequences would be most dire indeed considering Vera's still unknown capabilities and connections.
She nods and tries watching Silver's lips and interpreting them and listening... Although, there's nothing to listen to, and Vera skipped the lip-reading elective in training, she just kind of skimmed through some of the common practices yesterday to compensate. She blinks a lot more, and she touches her own arm with her free hand. "Thank you... This monologue has some good information. I'll have to write this all down soon... Do you mind if you speak with a bit more volume, I'm hard of hearing and you want to have me leave sooner than later." She steps closer to the couch and cups one ear.
A crucial mistake on Vera's part. Silver scans the earpiece that's clearly presented to her. It's... Truly nothing special, she's certain of that now. She moves her hands down from her face, and mouths something without actually making noise, each syllable defined for emphasis. No magic, but a very clear statement nonetheless.
"I can tell your bluff. Look at me, you insolent little brat."
She's staring intently, watching every little movement on Vera's part.
"Very well. I'm not hard of hearing. And I've been looking." Vera says these statements, one after another, enjoying the clear enunciation portrayed on Silver's lips. "Tell me, Silver, how you inherited your vast fortune. Engage with me in an all-telling story about your motivators, your obstructions, your strategy." Vera tries to keep her eyes steady. Silver's hard gaze is perturbing the peripheral vision, however.
"I make the rules now." One last gentle mouthed note, and it's already too late.
Silver makes one abrupt motion, locking into Vera's eyes before she has a chance to flinch. The magical impact is like a psychic punch to the face as Silver yells, with every ounce of her power channeled. "You will obey me, Vera. Put your weapon down, remove your earpieces, and free my hands. I am your superior and you only act as instructed, now."
She pants, having exerted a good part of her voice and magic in one single action.
Vera cries out in return, and her eyes, for a flash of light, feel stabbed straight through with dark lasers and bright wires. She lets go of her Taser, in a combination of the effect and of the startle, and she rubs her eyes and slides back her legs against the table. However... Vera collects herself. And in very intended fashion, Vera takes her ear pieces off of her, throws them onto Silver's lap, and unlatches the strange magnetic cuffs with a bit of finesse that'd be nigh accessible to the wearer. She's gasping for stability, looking like she might cry. "I finally know the fucking truth. You're a witch. You're a rotten witch, and can make me do that."
"It could have been so very simple. You leave me the fuck alone and we don't have any issues. But you had to play with fire no matter how hard I tried to protect you from it. You still don't know what I am capable of. Unfortunately, you seem to actually matter in some way, have connections, so I can't just entirely get rid of you that easily." This is a deliberately vague threat. "Sit down, and tell me who you work for, why you are so intent on meddling with people that may pose a risk. I need to know who'd come knocking at my door if you didn't return to them."
She's both triumphant and venomously angry at the same time, rubbing her hands to soothe the discomfort of the device. "Whatever happens today and after is all your fault."
"I always fly close to the sun. And I flew too close." Her voice is hoarse, and she wipes a tear off of her. "Look, I'm all about the truth. I wasn't going to leave you alone..." With the command, Vera's authority over her free will is loosened. A horrible feeling. She sits down with Silver, and she says unenthusiastically but also weakly yet, "I work for a city called Town, and its AI. I'm a field researcher, and therefore it's less about stopping you and more akin to reporting." Vera pushes on Silver. Vera then starts digging into her own dark scalp of hair, creating an awful tangle. "This gains you nothing."
"My entire existence, dear, is about doing my own little things that cause me to stay wealthy at expense of whatever uselessly rich contacts I can sway in my direction. I don't cause problems with my powers—I solve them. And I'm going to solve you out of my way as well, as I already tried to. But you're stubborn and incessant and I'm going to have to dig very deep into your mind to fix that. I like this place and I'm not going to move an eighth time in six years just because of you. Because unlike you, I take the low effort routes and simply let go of my ties when it avoids trouble."
"I don't understand you. I don't understand people like you. Only looking to achieve issues where there are none. You want a truth? I'll make my own truth, and when you find yourself at home, you will believe every word of what I will tell you, forgetting what actually transpired today. And what happened last time we met. You'll find a way to deal with any records of our phone call too; I believe you could manage that. Does all of that scare you? Good. Get it out while you still can, you'll be back to your uselessly oblivious self soon." She sighs, but in a warm kind of way. It's almost therapeutic, asserting her complete dominance after the stress Vera had caused.
Vera slumps into the couch, and her brief excitement at hearing how she probably indeed preserves her wealth is entirely shattered by this concept of... Making Vera believe a lie. Believing something verifiably false, with 100% conviction, despite being a member of the days that the truth would have been so abundantly clear. The only ties to the truth being the scattered notes she managed before Silver got the upper hand, and maybe what Town AI would know separate those calls, a shoddy story as that would be. She pulls and straightens her hair, then, dropping some strands on the couch.
She says, "Very well. I have no reason to believe anything... I wanted the truth because it's my passion. I love the truth. That's fundamentally why I'm a field researcher. So I'm scared Silver. I'll admit myself. I don't know who you are, I don't know if you've convinced me into a lie already-- I'm going to just-- be upset." She stops with her hair, and she stares into Silver's eyes. No reason not to now. With nothing to leverage, Vera is only a young adult woman, a human.
Silver starts to feel sorry for the girl, but it's fine. It'll pass, all of this, and she will finally have some peace to do her things again. Shape is... honestly a rather complicating factor in this all, but it'll be fine. It always works out in the end for Silver, she tells herself.
"In some way, I admire you. In your position, I'd have bitched out so long ago, facing something I believe to have overpowered me and despite this let me be. You said in some universe I'd maybe have your job instead... That's not true. You're capable of things I would never be. Like making me feel threatened in my own home despite clearly being vastly superior to you."
"So I'll be kind, and give you the comforting version, not the one that'll leave you feeling uncertain and worried and distressed about the inexplicable mismatches in your brain forever. It is time for you to believe a new truth about who I am, your experiences with me."
Silver strings a story, about how Vera had been called in to some fruitless research the first time she'd left the cafe abruptly. About how the call had simply been a misplaced one, intended for someone else. Startlingly similar voice to Silver, so the confusion is understandable. About how the meeting today cleared up some critical misunderstandings, how they had some friendly tea and chatter together. How Vera had left feeling a bit dizzy and unwell, coming down with some sort of cold that will leave her lying in bed for a day due to an uncomfortable brain fog that makes sure to obscure all the true memories. About how Silver is, most undoubtedly, just a simple human.
Vera has a hard time paying attention, but she at least takes the compliment and nods. She says, "Comforting it is," and the false truth is smoothly pressed into the wrinkles of her brain that are so often responsible for memory and assessments. She almost smiles, although not quite, when that false story is entirely told, including events that haven't even happened yet. And so Vera goes through the motions of the film, and seeing as there's no tea around either of them, Vera says, "Once more, I apologize. The circumstances were unusual, indeed. This meeting and conversation has been... Somewhat delightful, I appreciated the earl grey with cream." She blinks, and she tries to fix her hair that seems to be unkempt for some reason she doesn't dwell on. "If you meet something or someone that my interrogation or investigative skills could apply to, for no charge I'll follow through on it, Silver. I'm doing this for passion, and for the blog, not for service. For now, however, I must go. All the same as you, I'm a busy woman."
"It's been lovely, miss Blogger. Do take care, and I'll let you know if there's something you may help with in that regard." Earl grey with cream, hm. She takes a note of that, for no real purpose. She has brushed away the earpieces and Vera does not recollect having brought any - it'd be awkward to return them. "We have so much to attend to, as busy ladies, but it's always nice to get to sit down for some time. Best of luck out there." She gets up, and indicates towards the door before leading Vera out.