ArchivedLogs:Phone - Scheduling

Phone - Scheduling
Dramatis Personae Iolaus, Lucien
In Absentia	2013-02-17 '
Location Phone
Late afternoon on Sunday, Lucien's phone rings. The caller ID says that it is Iolaus. Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Late afternoon on Sunday, Lucien's voicemail answers this call. It's a simple and to-the-point message, in Lucien's quietly accented tones. "Hello, you've reached Lucien. Leave your name and contact number after the tone." Iolaus' voice is cheerful. "Hello, Lucien. I was wondering if you would be available this upcoming Friday evening. I have tickets to see a performance that I think you would very much enjoy. It is at the Carnegie Hall, at seven-thirty. If you are available, I would enjoy your company. Please give me a call to let me know, when you get this message." It takes a couple of hours before Lucien calls back. Sunday evening, Iolaus's phone rings. The caller ID says that it is Lucien! Ring, ring. Ring, ring. "Yes, Jane, that's fine -- Hello, this is Iolaus." The voice on the other end of the phone no longer sounds quite as cheerful as it had when he had left the voicemail earlier. "Iolaus, hello. This is Lucien." He doesn't sound particularly cheerful. Or particularly not-cheerful, for that matter. Just quiet, calm and polite. "Is this a bad time? I received your message. I could call back later." "Lucien! Oh, no, now is quite fine. I'm just dealing with a few things around the house." The sound of construction in the background fades as there is a sound of a door opening and closing. "My apologies. How are you doing?" he asks. "Well enough," Lucien answers, quietly. "And yourself?" In the background he has music. Quiet. Classical. Mahler. "It is going to be a very busy week. I am looking forward to Friday, I must admit." Iolaus says, a nervous little laugh in his voice. "Busy. Ah. Is work -- especially demanding?" The question is quiet, but Lucien's tone has a preemptive note of apology in it. "Friday, yes. Iolaus, it would be lovely to see you again but I am afraid I do not have that time free for an appointment. I have another engagement that evening already." "Well, the saying always talks about the calm before the storm, but things are fairly hectic around here, right now. We're going public on Tuesday, whether we like it or not." Iolaus says, the nervous note back in his voice. "Ah, that's a pity. I will see if I can get tickets for Saturday, but, I may simply have to think of a separate event for us and go to Yo Yo Ma myself this Friday. C'est la vie; it is what it is." he says, and despite his words, there is a trace of disappointment in his words. "You are what? Already?" This startles Lucien out of his calm, an audible note of surprise to his tone. "Public like news and everything?" "We are preparing for it, though we don't know how much we will actually get. We got the building permit and it goes into effect on Tuesday. We're going to start construction right away, but that means anytime from now on, someone could dig up the permit application if they cared to. We will see whether someone does or not." Iolaus says, a little sigh to his voice. "For our sake, I hope that it gets missed in the holiday rush. But we will see." "Ah. I did not expect it to all come into place so soon. I -- hope it goes well for you, then," Lucien says, carefully. There's a long silence, after this. The music continues in the background. "Yo Yo Ma. On Friday." More silence. Quiet tapping, like fingers on a keyboard. "-- How long did you want to see me for?" "I don't mean to put you out, Lucien." Iolaus says, softly. "The concert is around an hour and a half, perhaps a little bit longer. But I may still be able to get tickets for Saturday. I don't know. I will ask." Another stretch of silence. And then, "Can I call you back in a few minutes, Iolaus?" "Of course, Lucien." Iolaus says, a little hesitantly. "Take your time. I will see what I can see about the tickets in the mean time." "Alright. Talk to you soon." The phone hangs up. It takes more like fifteen minutes before it rings again. Ring, ring. "Hello, this is Iolaus." The aforementioned says, and there is silence in the background. "Iolaus. Friday." Lucien doesn't say who he is. Hopefully Iolaus's memory spans more than fifteen minutes at a time. "I moved some things around. I have put you in until eleven-thirty. I hope that will be adequate?" There is a pause on the other end of the line, before, "Oh. Yes, that's wonderful. Thank you, Lucien." Iolaus says, brightly. "Would you like to meet at Carnegie Hall at, say, 7:30? I believe the curtain is at eight, and that should leave us enough time to get settled." "Wonderful. I look forward to it." Lucien's voice sounds warm. Genuine, even. "I will see you Friday evening, then. Iolaus --" There's a beat of hesitation. "Please stay alive until then." There is a moment of silence at the other end of the line, and when Iolaus speaks, there is a note of worry in his voice. "I will try, Lucien. I can only promise to try." Lucien just exhales heavily at this. More silence. "Goodnight, Iolaus," he says, at length. "Good night, Lucien. Be well, and I will see you on Friday." Iolaus says, softly. The breath on his lips sounds like he was preparing to say something else, but nothing is forthcoming. Nothing is forthcoming from Lucien, either. There's a few bars more of Mahler, and then he hangs up.