(2019-01-11) Be My Guest
Katherine invites Vyv to guest on her new show sometime, and gives him a one-question test.
Players:
katherine..vyv..

The television studio is dark this time of evening, and Kate is curled up on a big chair, tapping into the computer as she quietly researches things for her new show. She sent a message to Vyv, asking him to come down, letting him know that a badge is available for him at the desk. He will be shown to the research room where he is quietly let in. The smell of coffee is strong here, it's not clear how long Kate has been working but she's drinking her caffeine by the thermos at this point. She's wearing a plain white tee-shirt, a pair of slightly distressed denim jeans and a light green and blue flannel over her shirt. The sleeves are rolled up, showing the tattoo on her right forearm.

Vyv's been a little scarcer than usual around the B&B so far this year, for as much as anyone might be keeping track. But he seems to be in fairly good spirits when he is, at least as much as he ever gives that impression. Just busy. Really busy. So a message is a good idea, and it works. She gets a reply agreeing, and the appropriate amount of time later, there he is, being let in by the appropriate staffer, with the appropriate badge attached to one of his buttons what is probably more than appropriately carefully. "Good evening," he greets as he enters, giving the place a curious glance around, then turning it on Katherine. "Smells pleasantly caffeinated in here. Those air freshener companies ought to take note."

Katherine laughs as she gets to her feet, moving over to offer Vyv her hand. "Evening. How is business going? It's been a while since we've had a chance to catch up." She gestures to another chair, crooking her finger as she walks back toward her own seat. "I called you here for a specific reason, so I hope you don't mind me pitching something at you." She gathers her hair in her hands, pinning it on her head in a bun. "Your room is still okay, isn't it? We've been doing the sheets and stuff and leaving food in a tray. Every so often I've noticed that you've eaten it. Sometimes it's untouched." She doesn't look offended by that, uncapping her thermos to take a drink of coffee. "I..am talking far too much."

Vyv accepts the hand, shaking it, and moves to the indicated chair, settling down into it and crossing his legs lightly. If anything, he looks even more curious after the handshake, and the why-we're-all-here-today mention only increases it — along with faint amusement at moving on to the room questions from there. "Well, sometimes I've not been there," he allows, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly, "but I promise it's no slight on the house. Though I /do/ still prefer the Fall room and if I'm still there when it opens up next, I may attempt to steal it. Or Chocolate, though some might consider that a little too on-the-nose." He glances at the thermos of coffee — that explains the aroma, clearly — and then back to her properly, adding, "…and thank you, for thinking of the food. The shop is… still a bit behind, but at least this time the delays aren't anybody's fault. Or at least no one I can yell at, which is good for them if not ideal for me. How have you been?"

Kate laughs softly, her head tilted to the side as her lashes sweep down to her cheeks. "Charlotte has noticed a few times that your bed hasn't been slept in, but she's not a gossip." She gazes at Vyv and curls up, pulling her feet up on the chair. "The Fall room will be opening up soon, I'll send you a text when it does." She keeps her thermos in her lap and smiles, a gentle tilted thing, before she shrugs a shoulder. "It's my job to think about things like that, though if what I called you down here takes off, I may find myself hiring someone to help me take care of the B&B." A slender hand moves to push her fingers through her bangs, sweeping them out of her face. "I've been doing well, actually. I'm in the process of producing a show here, sort of a round table. It will primarily be women, sitting down and discussing things that don't often get talked about. No censure, no taboo, and no filter. Every so often I want to have men on the show, as many different types of opinions and viewpoints as I can manage. That brings me to you. I think you would be a good fit as an occasional guest, someone who will certainly be unique." She opens her thermos, sipping again. "You have any problems being on a television show?"

Vyv manages quite a creditable Mona Lisa smile to the note about Charlotte not being a gossip, not that he actually attempted to. Sometimes these things briefly happen. A glance at the up-curling of Katherine's feet, but no comment on that, just a small inclination of his head to the remark about the room, and a quiet, "Thank you." Not enough to interrupt her from going on.
And when she does, one eyebrow quirks faintly, and then a fair bit further the farther she goes. The note about being unique turns it into a breath of a laugh, and he tilts his head slightly, considering. "That sounds like the sort of thing they put on report cards trying to be tactful," he remarks, "'Vyv is certainly unique.' In that he's neither clever nor athletic nor well-behaved." It's not dry enough to risk suggesting any actual offense, and is followed by, "I'll take it. And the idea sounds… intriguing. I don't have any particular aversion to the idea, no, not if I have the time. But what sorts of topics do you have in mind?" A tiny pause. "And when you say no filter…"

Katherine settles her gaze on Vyv, and after a few minutes she turns her head to gaze at the computer, clicking on something with her mouse. "One of the segments on the show is me asking questions from the OK Cupid website. They're quite unique, I'll ask you one and we can discuss it to give you an idea of what we'll be talking about." She glances at Vyv then, smiling brightly. "We'll be drinking during the show, and yes.. no filter. We'll be airing at night with caveats and warnings that the show is not for children, obviously." Her dark eyes flit back to the computer screen and after a moment, her lips curl into a smile. "Alright, Vyv — Ideally, how often would you have sex?" She tilts her head to the side, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. "Imagine asking that question of two other women and yourself, or three women, that can turn into quite the discussion." Her eyebrows raise briefly, almost as if she's offering Vyv a challenge, settling back to wait for him to speak.

Vyv watches her click, though there's not particularly much to see from his angle, and listens, nodding once to the explanation about the OK Cupid questions — there's a tiny lip-twitch as she describes them as unique — and looking somewhat pleased by the answer about filters, or possibly the drinking. And then there's the actual question, and her addition. It gets another soft laugh.
"Yes, I expect that /could/," he agrees, and settles back just slightly in the chair. "Mm. I suppose that could depend very much 'with whom'. …and just what one feels qualifies as 'sex' …and as an individual event. Could get quite complicated. If it's whoever happens to be nearest at the time, for example, rarely. But taking ideals as ideals? Oh, daily. More or less. Why? What about you?" His eyebrows rise in return, tossing it back.

Katherine can't help but laugh with Vyv, but hers is a little more boisterous, and there is no hint of a blush as she starts to speak. "Well in this case, I'm speaking of a significant other, or a potential one. In my case, the man that I'm seeing?" She shifts a bit, her slender fingers tapping idly on the lid of her thermos, before a wicked smile appears. "I would say as often as I could manage it. I think ..in this case though we would say, whatever you define as sex. Touching, actual intercourse, some people could even say cuddling, because it isn't always all that innocent. I know my cuddling hasn't been innocent lately." She clears her throat, and only then does she look abashed, if only slightly. "I think in a new relationship, it's pretty normal to have it daily, or at least have the attempt of it. What happens once you settle into a pattern though, and life intrudes? Do you still try for daily, or do you wait until a spark lights?"

"I doubt I'd /complain/ about more often, but one /does/ need to get something besides oneself done once in a while," Vyv says, with a small, vague gesture, and a faint smile following. "As often as one can manage it varies too much to be an ideal, though. On the one end there's not being /able/ to manage it often, work or travel or other things in the way, and on the other, being locked together in, say, a particularly nice hotel room with any other needs easily handled, and eventually having to call down to the desk for ice and something to treat chafing." The matter-of-fact tone belies the laugh that seems to be lurking in his eyes.
His fingers tap once against the chair's armrest, considering, before he answers, "Really, yes, I would still try. Particularly if we're using the broader definition of what 'counts'. Sparks very rarely simply light themselves. That's why fire investigators exist."

Katherine nods, looking thoughtful before she speaks up. "In my case, the man I'm seeing is quite busy. I used to joke with him that he only seemed to want to have sex when he was cooking or the like, and I would tease him that food made him horny." She makes a face at this, amused with her lips quirking upward into a grin. "He replied that he often doesn't get a chance to see me until dinner time, because of his classes and my work, so ..it made sense that he'd try to corner me around dinner time." She tilts her head, resting the bun against the chair. "You're right though, sparks rarely ever light themselves, and relationships are work. From the simple things like co-habitation, to the more intricate things like feelings and sexual activity." She takes a drink from her thermos, smacking her lips as she sets it aside. "If the relationship is healthy though, sparks should come often, and easily. That's my opinion though."

"In his defense, there's a hugely long history of food as aphrodisiac, so he'd be in good company. Make him cook you some oysters and see if it gets worse," Vyv suggests. "This is quite unfair, you know, you've got that thermos but I don't have anything at all to sip." It's a very off-hand complaint. "…and of course I'm right."
There's a quiet moment there, something thoughtful. "/Is/ co-habitation simple? Either way, yes, ideally there would often be sparks, and if there aren't, perhaps something's gone wrong. But I would suspect that passively waiting for things to catch fire could be a candidate for that thing. If one wants there to be a fire, waiting is far less likely to succeed than arson."

Katherine sets the thermos aside and gets to her feet, walking to the coffee maker as she speaks. "He mentioned something about an aphrodisiac the other evening, but I might have missed the word. My Arabic is still abysmal, and I'm trying not to let him know that I'm studying it." She pours a cup, moves to fetch her thermos, and refills that as well. She drops a few squares of dark chocolate into the thermos before she caps it and shakes it a few times. She carries the mug back and presents it politely to Vyv.
As she settles, feet back into the chair, her dark gaze over her knees at the man sitting across from her, she speaks quietly. "It really is, at least at first. You move your things in, you try to get used to sleeping in an occupied bed. You find out their quirks, it's like an adventure, really." She smirks and tilts her hand. "I used to be that person, I'd wait for something magical to happen. I'd wait for the man to make his move, and then it never ever did happen. Spark never came. I blamed myself for a long time, and I was right to, in a way, because that can't be laid at one person's feet. I also realize that it wasn't meant to be, and I'm better off - far happier now." She shrugs and flashes Vyv a smile. "So, that's pretty much what will be going on. Four people discussing it, sharing parts of themselves. Offering advice to one another.." She trails off, watching to see his response.

The more clearly amused look comes back as Katherine actually gets up to do something about his tragic problem, and Vyv accepts with perhaps slightly more than due solemnity when it's handed over. "Thank you, most kind." He brings it up as though to drink, but pauses long enough to judge how much heat might be coming off of it before risking a tiny sip. "How does one decide whose home to move into? Where things go, whether that horrible painting over there stays or goes?" he inquires, "…mn. I suppose that would probably be a different show. Anyway, I tend to poke about a little to see how dry the kindling might be, initially. And if it seems promising, I strike a match. I like this metaphor, and I wonder how long before it gets me a visit from the authorities."
He studies her for just a moment, then nods. "I'm pleased you're happier now. And I think this might be fun. But I should warn that given discussion and drinking I can't absolutely promise to stay nice. It isn't really my natural state."

Kate wrinkles her nose at his question. "I don't even know who would make that decision. I'm such a passive person, I would wait for someone to decide for me and then figure out if it was feasible. I have my business at home, so if I moved out, I'd have to have a very compelling reason to do so." She twirls a curl around a finger, grinning at Vyv. "I figure each show will last an hour at the least, so there is room for plenty of discussion." His mention of the authorities makes her snort out a soft laugh. "How are you testing the kindling that he authorities are being called? Don't you know, stalking now happens on social media, where you don't get caught." She inclines her head when Vyv says that he's pleased about her current situation. "I am too. Sometimes the things you never expect are the ones that knock you on your ass, you know?" She licks her lips and tries not to look as amused as she might be. "You'll be at a table with me, August Lexington, and a bartender from the Alibi. I'm probably the only person in danger of getting her feelings hurt."

The laugh when she asks how Vyv's testing the kindling is actually audible, though still quiet. "No one's called the authorities about my flirting technique yet, though the night /is/ still young. I'm just waiting to be overheard advocating arson and have a file started about me just in case. Which would be /quite/ unfair. I haven't set anything non-edible on fire intentionally since the last bad breakup." Sip.
His gaze drops briefly down to the coffee as he lowers the cup, then back to her. "Yes, though. I know what you mean about the unexpected. Not always in the good way, but… sometimes." A tilt of his head, brow furrowing. "I don't think I've met either of them, yet, unless I've run into the bartender randomly out and about, but I'm happy to take your word for it. And I apologise in advance for any emotional bruising I might incur. If it helps to know, I do rather like you."

Katherine shakes her head faintly, looking amused as she focuses on one of the distressed patches of her jeans, plucking at it with her fingers. "The police around here are pretty nice, and some of them are good looking, so perhaps it's a path to arson, either way." She raises a brow at Vyv, grinning slowly. "For a very long time, I worried more about other people before myself. I am starting to realize how destructive that is. Partly because of this person that I'm seeing. I wasn't looking for this, point in fact, I was getting over Xavier suddenly dropping off the face of the Earth. So…I'll take it as a boon dropped on me from above, roll with it for now." She laughs out loud when he says he hasn't met either of them. "Well then, you're in for a treat. August is living at the B&B indefinitely, and Katya is a treat. They're so saucy, and.. I'm hoping it rubs off on me." She reaches for the thermos, uncapping it and taking a drink. "I like you too, and you can't do any worse than others have done in the past. Trust me."

"I can but hope," Vyv agrees about the police, and sips his drink again, eyes amused over the cup. A nod to the destructiveness of worrying too much about others, and a slight purse of the mouth when she mentions Xavier, that nod much tinier. "I'd been wondering where Xavier'd got to, if I just wasn't in the right spots lately. Shame; the city needs more good suiting in it." Though there's no spoken mention, there is a blink-and-you'll-miss it hint of sympathy at what the disappearance would've meant for her. "In any case, I find selfishness is highly underrated. So I support cultivating some… as long as it doesn't get in /my/ way." He lifts a 'warning' brow, not for long before there's a half-smile to go with it. "So when do you think this all might start?"

Kate keeps her eyes on her knees, the furrow in her brow slight. "He'll turn up, one hopes." She says this lightly and then jumps to the change of subject with ease. "I'm not given to selfishness ever, which is why I tend to date selfish men. It's also kind of fun, but I'm a strange woman at times." She tilts her head, considering before she answers. "When I get home from Paris, I want to do the first that weekend. I think we're booking Sam Ryse as our first guest with Katya and August, and then the second episode will have Claire Reed, since she's leaving at the end of the month." She taps her chin and considers before she points at Vyv. "Was hoping to have you fourth, or possibly fifth. I'm trying to decide if I want you first or Angela Bell."

"One hopes," Vyv agrees, and seems willing enough to let the subject lie there, quiet with just a small smile for it being fun, until she finishes her answer. "Recording once a week? That sounds reasonable. So, most likely… mid to late February, then?" He considers briefly, and nods again. "After Valentine's day or well before is better than nearer, and Easter's rather late this year, so that would work well enough," he decides, before proving he can count by inquiring, "Who's third? And then tell me about your Paris plans, please."

"We may pre-tape, so that Heather can get an idea of what we're doing and how much trouble she's going to get into with censors and the like." Kate looks thoughtful, her eyes far away for a few moments. "I will be occupied for Valentine's day, probably will be out of town, but we'll see." She gets to her feet, gathering things as if she is making preparations to go. Her eyes shifting to the clock briefly before she grins. "Uma, she's a new doctor in town, and she helped me out with something a little sensitive recently. She's a good egg." She huffs out a sigh, and glances around as if she's forgetting all the things. "We probably should wrap up though, Sevin will be here soon to pick me up, and he doesn't have much patience when I'm late."

"I would've thought you'd tape rather than do it live," Vyv says, nodding again. "Not my specialist subject, obviously, but it seems like the sort of thing where one would want to let editors have at it before the public did. Cut out any boring or /far/ too interesting bits." Which is probably the censors and the like area, 'the like' possibly including lawyers. One never knows. "And Uma I've actually met. Angela as well, actually. But not Sevin. First time you've dropped the name, you know. Very mysterious." Another sip of the coffee, and he rises gracefully to his feet, setting the mug down on the nearest appropriate-looking flat surface. "Well. This oughtn't be boring. Thank you for the invitation. I expect I'll see you back at your house. Sooner or later." He inclines his head to her and turns, starting for the door, though he pauses when he reaches it, and looks back with a slightly mischievous expression. "Let's wish us both suitably later. Good night."

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