An Urgent Message
When Jonas turns to the barman and says he better make that two whiskies, friend, Vesper holds her fingers up behind Jonas's shoulder and mouths Four. For starters, indeed. His lowered voice is her cue to lean in, attentive. Maybe Jonas knows Vesper well enough to see how Lady Brass' name strikes her like a tuning fork and see where her curiosity changes pitch, thoughtfulness gets scraped sharper. The way she looks at him stays warm and pleased, though. At least until the Griffin fella question.
"Levi?" she says, as if there was another Griffin she carried a torch for. "Nope." That's about as firm as a knife point thunked into a table. Evidently, there's something awfully interesting on the rim of her glass, given that she chooses this moment to pick her drink up and scrutinize it. "We're done."
"And you know the galaxy, it's so easy to stub your toe on trouble. Barely gotta look, but if trouble happens and nobody sees it, does it really happen? Say, Jonas, don'tcha think this color's a dreamy song of a thing? Looks like it just yearns to be fire."
Vesper drags her gaze away from the inanimate object and tilts her glass Jonasward. "Cheers. To mutual acquaintance." It's a serious cheers, given everything. Given the last time they were together. But her dimple flashes anyway, all sweet and irrepressible. "And fate too, why not?"
Vesper gives the Scotch a taste then nods toward one of the booths along the wall.
"Let's us go cozy up in a corner where we can really get intimate, huh? I'll tell you three true stories and one tale so tall you'll forget where it left its feet and I'll give you my new thesis on fate -- which I just came up with, Jonas, and I'm pretty darned proud of, you sparking muse! -- and you know I'm keen to hear what you've been working on, for pleasure, y'know, what you're proud of, what's lighting you up -- "
Vesper is decidedly not sheepish, but she knows when she's running on; she corrects course.
"I should square Bill away," hook of a thumb over her shoulder, at the Charioteer she was talking to when Jonas came in. She's remembered he exists now. "I'll meetcha over there and ... Maybe we ought first to talk about why Lady Brass is giving you my name?" Here's one of Vesper's tricks-that-isn't-a-trick. She's 100% sincere when she puts a hand over her heart and says: "I don't imagine she knew how happy your face would make me and we've got the whole starry night, or as long as you please, to go on about everything else. I'll be guided by you!"