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[shamebat]

Hello, this is Nadja. Please leave a message and I will return to it later.

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[shamebat]

[Nadja walks by the railing, looking around with interest before finding Steve]

Ah! There you are.

Are you ready to fly, darling one?

[revpirenewlin]

[He pushes away from the railing with a bright, eager grin.]

You know it! Uh, should I hug you, or do you just need to hold my hands or... how does this work, exactly?

[shamebat]

Here - I will put my arms around your waist and hoist you up like a little kitten.

[Thankfully, vampire strength in Nadja's universe means that weight ratio is apparently not really much of a thing. She turns Steve so that his back is facing her chest, and then gently begins lifting them both up into the air]

There you go! That's it now. I am very glad you're not scared of heights like my Jenna.

[revpirenewlin]

[He moves where she leads, even holding his hands out away from his sides a little. When they begin to ascend he grins, watching the barge get smaller and smaller.]

Nope, that's not a phobia I ever had to deal with. Used to love hot air balloons, but couldn't ride in them often.

Is this something that took you a while to master?

[shamebat]

Oh, yes. I know balloons. I used to go down to the village freak show and fight my brothers and sisters for the chance to hold the balloon we got to share between us.

[Nadja swoops carefully, cautious about not dropping Steve. Too many accidents and near accidents for her to want to damage this precious cargo]

Not very long. I think humans always want to know how to fly, so that is one of the first things we teach ourselves as vampires.

[revpirenewlin]

[Steve would facepalm if he wasn't trying not to move as little as possible. Instead he just... sighs.]

Right, okay, for the record: hot air balloons aren't, uh, what you collected back in your day. They were like.... ok, picture a basket big enough for four people, with one giant balloon on top, propelled by fire. And there you are: hot air balloon.

Nadja, you know I love you, but how have you managed this long in the modern world without really being a part of it?

[shamebat]

What are you talking about? I am very much a part of the modern world!

I have the electronic mail on the computer and everything. Even Laszlo doesn't know how to do that.

[revpirenewlin]

Riiiiight. Okay. [Pleasantly trying to keep most all of the disbelief from his voice.]

So explain to me how e-mail works. Just so I know you got it.

[shamebat]

[she sneers]

You write your messages on the computer screen and then send them through the Ether to your intended recipient through their email address! What is to understand?

[revpirenewlin]

[He laughs a little, but not at her, which he's quick to point out immediately.]

Okay that? Yeah that's about right. I've never heard it called 'the ether' before, but I suppose it might as well be.

Well, hey, is there anything you're confused about that I might be able to answer? How some other things work?

[shamebat]

You cheeky little creature. Of course not. I understand perfectly well what it is to live in a modern world.

[revpirenewlin]

[He shrugs.]

Hey now, I was being serious. There's things I don't know that I ask about. Making origami, for instance. I got a friend who's going to help me with that.

[shamebat]

Why would I want to know more about organ-ami? I know much about organs and what I don't know, I don't need to know.

What do you think I need to learn, Steve?

[revpirenewlin]

Or-i-gah-mi. Not 'organ-ami'. It's folding paper. I got one in my cabin I can show you.

[Somehow, he's getting the sense he's on thin ice. He waves at the air with his hand.]

Forget it. Just an idea, Nadja.

[shamebat]

Yes, all right.

[she dismisses the thought out of hand, finding nothing interesting in a piece of paper folded over]

So! Have you had enough of flying or would you like to go a bit faster?

[revpirenewlin]

[The thought's tempting, however...]

I think this was fun for a first outing, we'll save the speed for another night, okay?

[shamebat]

Yes, of course. perhaps next time we can try the enclosure.