steampunk Wednesday (Open)

Ali was dressed for the night her style, a gold choker with a gold stone around her neck, the only thing not in "vogue" with the rest of her outfit.  Her hair was braided back into a bun, and she actually was wearing make up this eve.

The crowd in the bar, was dressed to the various style of steampunk and Abney Park was playing in the background.  The place wasn't packed but fuller then normal on a Wednesday, which meant better business then normal.  Ali was quietly taking inventory while waiting on people, and working the first few tables away from the bar.  It seemed tonight she didn't have bar back up or a full cocktail staff but so far it was still running smoothly.

Victor was hardly dressed for the occasion, and he looked around in a curious fashion at the interpretation of the 19th century. He sat at the bar and looked for Ali.

"Good evening Mr. Steele your usual?" reaching under the bar for the good stuff.

"Please" he smiled "Interesting theme night. Is this how the 19th century is interpreted as an artistic form now? It reminds me of Jules Verne meets punk rockers."

"Well close, Steampunk as if the Steam Age never stopped, clock work gears and the Victorian dress for some, other prefer a more "Wild West" interpretation, but brass is a big deal too, as are gears." pouring his drink. "Frankenstein, mad scientist which we have none of this evening, but as Halloween gets closer more will dress that way. It's an oddly civil cosplay group. They like to dress up, hang out and actually drink plus tip." spoken lowly with a smirk at him.

"I knew a mad scientist once, and the depth of my knowledge of the steam age might astound you" he said while looking around the room and making to sip at his drink.

"You know, Richard Gatling thought his invention would make war so horrifying as to be unthinkable. It didn't. Samuel Morse asked 'what hath God wrought?' yet, nobody answered him. The answer, with that first electromagnetic message was a whole new world, as interpreted and celebrated by these people. Ballonists captured the public imagination, great streamships plied the oceans of the world, gold flowed from California, and the railroad started shrinking the world. In 1863 the Confederate State of America deployed a submarine that destroyed an enemy ship. Six years later, the nation was connected from sea to sea by rail. Seven years later, it celebrated a century of existence. By 1900, zepplins were flying, and were within the knowledge of people who had first hand experience with persons from the 18th century. By 1914, it was all over. Steam gave rise to petrol, and Gatling's unthinkable war was mechanized beyond the wildest dreams his era, and bloodier than any had ever experienced before on this planet."

"This steampunk distills the promise, and wealth and dreams of the 19th century and neatly overlaps it with the coming horrors and the native engines of destruction present with the era rather nicely."

"Well the do the zeppelin's, the trains, the car's running on steam and such. Most love the look and feel of the time. I just got this outfit so I'm trying to fit in on Wednesdays." pointing to her clothes with a grin at him. "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen also sums up the look they are going for too." with a smile at him and sipping her water this eve.

"It is a nice outfit" he smiled "Very flattering. You know, petrol engines existed and were used in the 1890's? Steam automobiles were impractical. Too long to get up to steam, and too many small internal combustion engines could better fill the roll. No, no, all in all I approve of this. It is a modernization of the speculative and sensationalist literature of the era. Quite interesting, and occasionally rather fascinating..." Rather fascinating in this case was an attractive young woman with a somewhat form fitting and revealing outfit.

"Why thank you. Not my thing but I'm willing to try it for business." with a bright smile. "And after the talk about the 30's the other day, I went looking through old photo's I brought with me, that my Grandmother gave me and I found the funniest thing." taking a sip of her soda water.

"I swear it looks like you and my Grandfather in Berlin, but that couldn't be possible right?" she said softly to him. Then seeing a customer come up to the bar she walked off before he could answer to fix the drinks talk with the customers, and then headed back to him.

She was idly playing with the stone on the choker and then looked to see if he'd answer her or not.

"My grandfather, as I mentioned was in Berlin" he said after a moment. "He was, again as I mentioned a Nazi. You notice the German in my voice? Grandfather hid in South America, and eventually managed to acquire residency in the United States... he knew Doctor von Braum and was an ardent anti communist, either one of which would have gotten his Gestapo service overlooked by the US Government. My father was conceived in Argentina, but born in the United States. We... don't discuss grandfather much."

"So, perhaps it was him. Do you have the picture with you? If it was a Gestapo officer, there is a good chance."

She looked at him with a raised brow "As you say." so NOT believing him. "Well I was looking for 1930's dresses, but I didn't find any." witha shrug and starting to go wait on a rather large man a suit that was almost too small.

Coming back to him, with a sip of her club soda and a shake of her head.

"He wanted a rusty nail so I gave him one...." with a smirk and a soft laugh. " Whiskey and Drambuie is not for everyone"


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"Well it would be impossible for me to have been with your grandfather " he chuckled. "Or it could have just been my relative or some other handsome fellow"

She raised an eye brow, then looked around the club, and shook her head "So you need to learn money doesn't fix everything." with a smile at him.

"I'm well aware it doesn't" he smiled "But it often buys the things that fixes other things. So tell me about your grandfather, you've heard about mine."

"He was very strict, everyone listened and did as he said." with a shrug.

"You've just described a lot of German men from that era. I mean, what did he do, who was he?"

"You have to understand, he called Sunday dinners, he ruled with an iron fist, we did not bother him the rest of the week. My father would be called to him, but the grand kids were not till they were useful, me being a girl - I was not useful." with a smile at him. "I do not know what he did, my Father did some sort of business but I never went with him or do I know to this day what it is. I left on "scholarship" for the States at 16 and haven't been back." with another shrug.

"We never were in want for anything. There was always money, gold and I was often with my Grandmother. Or William my Grandfathers best friend, then his son, his wife died in child birth with his son." with a nod to him "I helped out with their staff and made sure their staff did as they wished things to be."

Victor oddly neutral. "I'd like to see this picture sometime. I know he helped smuggle people and gold out of Germany, a thorough audit assures me that the family money isn't tainted in that fashion though."

"Small world isn't it?" he suddenly chuckled

"So it seems." with a smile at him. "Small world." with a shaking of her head. "okay I need to walk the floor - I'll be right back." She went to check on the tables she was covering, went to refill the glasses, then checked others at the bar, and then once all were taken care of - she cleaned some glasses and then made her way back to Victor.

"Need a refill?" checking his glass and a winning smile at him. "So this is ever Wednesday now if you wish to come hang out."

"I'm good, thank you. Mmm I might come back, it's interesting. This is a nice bar to relax in and people watch. I like that."

"Well I like to think I help keep a nice crowd coming in." with a smile at him, "Thursday is DJ night, rotating up and coming local DJ's - so a college night - Friday night is Area DJ's - and Saturday night has been College Bands. Sunday is Football - Monday is Karaoke night. Tuesday is a whatever night." with a chuckle.

"Tuesday and Wednesday might be all I can tolerate" he laughed


"You told me that money doesn't solve all problems when my grandfather came up, I'm curious why you said that and why you thought the actions of an ancestor might be a problem?"

"Because you keep trying to us money to buy friends, prove points and it rarely fixes problems." with a smile at him. "I spent an early lifetime of people trying to use money to make me happy, and money doesn't do it." shaking her head no.

"I'm not trying to buy friends, but I enjoy spending it on and with people I like. I see your point though. Understand I've spent a lot of years not interacting with a lot of people. The work I did for the government pretty much kept me isolated, and even a cursory examination of my past reveals that I had a Gestapo officer for a grandfather, which causes rumors. So when I do get out, I let the money flow. I apologize."

"It's how you let it flow, and I know you don't mean to but it's insulting to me. I don't need to have my friendship bought, the fact I talk to you and enjoy your company to me says we are friends. Driving your car meant more to me then you'll ever know." with a smile at him.