13688/An evening event at the Gotham Zoo

An evening event at the Gotham Zoo
Date of Scene:	02 August 2021
Location:	Gotham Zoo, Bay Side
Synopsis:	Sinister as 'Nicolas Wessex' bumps into Kinsey at a Gotham city fundraiser for the aquarium and zoo, and finally finds out she's a Blue Lantern. Meets Kibou.
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Kinsey MacKenna

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Sinister has posed:
This seems to be a minor fundraising event. Not major, just people hosting an evening soiree to raise money for the Aquarium. Gotham may have rich patrons, but they do not have bottomless pockets, no matter how rich they are. There's always a surprise need for extra cash, for one reason or another, over operating costs.

A few guest lecturers, the hopes of landing a donor whose name might stick nicely on a plaque to encourage people to share their wonders and their dreams, it's all possible.

Doctor Nicolas Wessex is here, in his own capacity, champagne in hand, listening to someone talking about the invasive species that are threatening the warmer atlantic waters, looking over the great tanks full of fish. It seems to be relaxing to him as it is to many others, to watch marine life.

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
Kinsey was there as a guest from the MacKenzie King Space Station. Even though it was run by the Canadian Government, she was still American, and was a hit for the kids. Even though she headed the science station, she was still an astronaut. The kids didn't even care that she was a bigger name in the universe, being a Blue Lantern.

She was not rich in the least!

"Dr. Wessex. Fancy meeting you here. I wasn't a speaker, but was a guest." And she laughs. "Apparently, an astronaut can still rank up there."

Sinister has posed:
The familiar voice brings Wessex' attention to looking around. When he alights on Kinsey, his face softens, a smile lighting up his features. "It's a draw. We have an astronaut here, others will come by just to celebrate proximity," he chuckles, waggles a finger at her. "It's bigger than you are, embrace it." He winks, sips his drink and looks over at the current schmoozing going on.

"I think I might end up getting woo'd, but I'm happy to wait my turn. Occasionally, it's fun just to wait and see if anyone has a cue card."

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
"True enough," laughs Kinsey. "It's funny. You would think that the Head of Science would have been making a speech, but apparently if they can call me an astronaut, and not pay me an honorarium for my speech, they win on both fronts. She leans in close, "An astronaut ranks up there, more than my science degrees."

"What, pray tell, are you speaking about?"

Sinister has posed:
"Oh, I'm not. I could, but I'm not. No, I'm here in the donor capacity, not the lecturer capacity." He sips his champagne, does Nicolas and smiles a little awkwardly. "Comfortable amount of disposable income, there we go. But I could have done, I suppose -- a good deal of neurological treatments have come out of shark conservation after all, including some of the most recent altzheimer's treatments." He nods his head to a white-tip in the tank as it swims past. "Their brains never degrade, doesn't matter how old the shark is. Studies of greenland sharks, who routinely live over a century, there's no marked difference in neurone sensitivity or plaque formations. So." He shrugs, looks at her.

"There's also the latest fish-skin treatments, for burns victims and grafts. I like fish. They're calming."

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
"See? I would have enjoyed that. My research is a tad too mental than the normal Joe can understand. Too many big words that ultimately mean we grow this thing without light. Even in the school of genetic engineering I still have maybe three friends who can understand me. Trust me, it works better this way."

Sinister has posed:
"Aphotomantic growth patterns. Geo or chaemotrophic? Not that it matters, just curious," Sinister smiles finishes his champagne and takes up something fruity with an orange slice in it from a passing tray. Over in another tank auditorium, the faint sounds of a string quarter playing, tells the story of the fact that there's probably the really BIG gun donors in there. THey need accompaniment and flattery!

"Speaking of genetic engineering though... what's your take on fully cloned organ cultivation?"

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
"A little bit of both, actually. But mostly chemotrophs of the bacteria sort right now. We're trying to isolate the strains and classify them." Out in space, obviously.She talked for a while, and went on for a bit. A small bit, but a bit nonetheless.

~Kinsey? You told me to remind you if you went off on a tangent. Does this count?~

~Yes, and no? But I'll stop.~

"I have just been reminded not to talk shop while I'm here. Sorry." Kinsey smiles ruefully. "Others might be offended."

As for clones.. What did she think about them? "As a scientist they have always given us so much knowledge. After all, my whole research is dependent upon them, but I presume you were most interested with the cloning of humans or other higher up organisms?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's ears should twitch, they really should. But they do not, even if they do rise up a little bit at the voice he can hear, but nobody else can. Well, except for Kinsey. He chuckles, but politely waits for her to actually answer him, as well... "You can be forgiven for being passionate about what you care about." pause "Although I'm not sure who reminded you. We're currently alone. Inner monologue poking you in the neocortex?"

There's the money. He just had to wait for her to show it. "Yes, human organs. I can't imagine that there'd be a huge market for the cloning of animal organs. I've had a few ideas about marketting research into human organ cloning, based on extracted donor stem cells. It can sort of be done, but it's not cost effective. It would eliminate rejection though, and matching donors as that would come from the host originally to begin with. I've seen some prototypes for protein three-D printing too, which I'm debating backing." Or as is more accurate, debating whether to put to market. He already has that technology, but altruism isn't common in Nathaniel Essex.

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
Kinsey winks.

"You could say that. At least, at times, he is my conscience. For this type of thing. I haven't had much interaction, at times, to remember my manners when I am in crowds."

"I was thinking more tangible, actually. Just think, if you were to be lucky enough to have the money and the science behind it, what is to prevent you from putting your mind in a youthful clone and carry on living when your old body is too old to function?"

Sinister has posed:
"If you're smart enough to figure out how to transfer an entire consciousness from one being to another, I think you probably deserve a pat on the back. But as I don't think that kind of thing is widely available, I'm thinking considerably smaller scale." Sinister murmurs with a chuckle. He squints a bit though, looking behind her with a lean, then back to her face. "He who?"

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
"Really now? You may not, and I may not, but if we can think of it, people are already trying to figure out how."

Kinsey doesn't think it is too far off in the distance.

"Pardon?" Her right hand goes to cover the left. "Oh, well. Seeing as I don't really hide it.." She uncovers her left hand. "Meet Kibou. As far as I can figure he means 'hope'."

"Can I say hello?" Kibou is excited.

She shakes her head. "Sometimes he's as young as they come." And sometimes, *most* of the time, he was an ancient library with powers. She still can't believe he chose her. "Yes Kibou, although I should be disappointed in you for not keeping yourself with your inward voice, instead your outward voice. We discussed that, hrm?"

Kibou refuses to listen. Somebody is listening to *him*!

Sinister has posed:
Not if I have anything to do with it. We'd be over-run with rich idiots, whose sole claim to fame was that they had enough money to throw at having their brains moved to a young body. I am not about to use my knowledge or allow -that- to happen!

But that's all in Sinister's head. He snorts softly. "Maybe. But the logistics of it are not exactly easy and then you'd have issues with the transfer technology backing you up into cyberspace and behold: Ghost in the shell."

But then, FINALLY the voice he hears is going to be introduced as... a ring. He looks at it, looks up at her, looks at it again and slowly, realization dawns. "You're a lantern. And you're the power ring for that lantern? Oh my goodness, the ring is talking."

He laughs, a delighted kind of sound, because now things make a helluvalot more sense and he doesn't have to feel like he was having a strange auditory hallucination in lux and other spots. "A pleasure to meet you, Kibou."

Kinsey MacKenna has posed:
Kinsey almost breaks out in laughter. Almost.

"Mm-hrm. I am his, and he is mine. I am the first user of Kibou, so we are learning it all together. Some of it." After all, he did know what to do to be a ring, but to interact with his partner.. sometimes he still has to figure it out. Like she did.

"Nice to meet you! Kinsey is a Blue. I'm proud of her, even if she doesn't like using force.."

"And you should hush now. We'll talk about *this* later.." Then to Dr. Wessex: "..and yes, I am a Blue."

Sinister has posed:
"Amazing. Indeed, now I feel doubly honoured to have been shown around your work," Sinister replies with an incline of his head, waving at the ring. That's not weird at all, but at least nobody's really watching them but the fish.

Then however, from the other auditorium, a voice announces. "Nicolas Wessex? Is doctor Wessex in the house?" and he sighs, bowing his head. "I'm afraid that sponsorship calls. We'll talk again, hopefully on whole different topics. Do have a good night. Enjoy the fish. They think in colours, you know." How he knows that, who knows? But with a smile he goes to address whatever he must, in the donor's hall.