4/21 – Calls from Stacey / Kristen

@lilmsfancpants If last year’s research has carried over in any way, then they have a LOT of data on me that they never exploited.. But, if that last ‘accidental’ comment is true, it would make sense that Stacey didn’t understand why I’d be emailing, and that Kristen would then have to quickly follow up to try and explain.

Only one thing is for sure; We’re definitely not getting Unicorn flavored purple cream from Starbucks.

@nothenrygale She did specifically ask if I’d like to join for her some coffee, not type 2 diabetes.. but who knows.

@pandace88 Kristin seemed pretty concerned that Stacey had heard her, I doubt this is gonna end up as coffee and cuddles… but if it looks like danger, I’m going out eating a cronut.

@blondie If that happens, I will Periscope while running uphill.

@tiffany223 There will be not a single crumb left because reasons.

?

I’m at a bar with Buz, who has discovered pre-mixed bottles of Jack & Coke and likes them very much. This is not helping my figure for Kristen.

@nothenrygale If I knew anything else, the forum would have heard about it by now.

And OBVIOUSLY the gentleman picks up the tab at coffee, sheesh..

@blondie Black coffee is for the wicked.

4/24 – 8:57pm – Call from Kristen..

Kristen just called, and has had a slightly overwhelming day. “I.T. was compromised” she said – both her phone and computer were seized today, presumably by them. She didn’t know why those items were taken, and doesn’t want to ask questions, just wants to lay low and let this blow over.

We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow at 2pm.. !

[edit] She said she should be able to ‘sneak out’ at that time, and also that I will recognize her by her wearing a starfish necklace.

: kirobass

@thebuz

@kasch Whenever I’m on a first date, I like to bring you up and talk about your accomplishments and stalkers, so that shouldn’t be a problem…
(Will see what I can do 😉 )

@ziegenbartsr We don’t know what ‘compromised’ refers to yet, all we know is that electronic items are being scoured for a trace of something.

……… Wow, so here’s what I can remember that happened. I would be a terrible witness to a crime because I can’t remember exactly what was said, but I promise I’ll hit the main bullet points. Also, there were things she specifically said I must keep secret, so I’m going to talk about them as much as I think I safely can and will assume Tension fans can fill in the gaps.

Kristen walked up confident and cheerful, pausing briefly at the table outside that I was sitting at, I asked “Kristen?”, we shook hands, and I invited her inside for a coffee or to try one of the famous pies or deserts. She declined, which seemed a little strange at the time as she’d been so excited previously, but who cares about that when I get to sit and talk with her?

She is beautiful, has a casual yet striking look, dark / straight hair that hangs just below her shoulders. She occasionally has to brush it out of her eyes, which were locked onto me almost the entire time, and she laughs loudly and smiles often. She’s wearing make up suitable for a high-powered assistant role, nothing trashy but just enough to elevate her natural features.

She apologizes for being a little scatter brained, I say that’s understandable and ask if the situation with her computer and phone is now over, and she indicates that it is. She says that things are pretty tense in the office right now, Stacey has been dealing with a lot of stressful situations and seems to be picking on Kristen occasionally to get under her skin. I ask what kind of things, Kristen says it’s minor stuff like snippy comments on her clothing, nothing major but a strong general sense that something is up. She pauses and apologizes for starting off by venting about her work and I say it’s fine for her to continue. She suspects that Stacey might not be as suited to management as she is, which may be a source of the friction. The company was started with a significant cash advance from somewhere, and though she’s not sure where, she thinks the investors might be visiting occasionally. Stacey doesn’t like to acknowledge this stuff. I ask if the investors are often in suits with briefcases, and she animatedly says yes while grabbing my knee; I ask if she’s ever heard or seen the acronym OSDM, she says she has not.

She apologizes again for talking mainly about work, says that it’s very weird to be investigating people and learning more about them than they know about themselves, and I said it’s getting late, thanked her for coming and stood up to leave – because I’m a corny idiot. She asks me to tell her some things about myself, and I say maybe she could tell me where her investigation left off so I can start somewhere new. I talk about how new I am to Los Angeles, how I live very close to where we were and that the apartments have shut off the water today for emergency maintenance, so I had to wash with wet wipes and the remaining water that was in my coffee maker. We talk briefly about my being a sound engineer and my part time Burning Man roles, we talk about how strange it can feel to be alone in LA, and that I came here after long term relationships ended, and she is curious / concerned about my answers. I ask her, if you know so much about so many people, you must know that your interactions caused quite a stir, and that she could have asked for coffee with anyone, so why me? She says that I seemed different, more honest and open. I said that I get myself in a lot more trouble being honest than I ever did when I was deceitful, but I’d rather be open and vulnerable.

That led to a discussion of how people are in LA, that a lot of them hide behind masks, and we people-watch briefly, me half expecting Stacey to angrily arrive at any moment. I shared a story from the NoHo Diner a few nights ago, when I leapt up to help two girls being chased by a man outside, and that as I get older I am more willing to try and defend people like that, even though I am hardly the greatest physical specimen.

I ask her how she arrived here, she says she grew up in Fresno (eww) and came here like I did, seeking a better life and to be in a place where things are happening. We chat about Northern California briefly, and then she asks me to talk more about myself … As I am talking, she cocks her head slightly to the side, and asks me to repeat what I just said, but slower. It was unusual, but I assumed I was just speaking too quickly.

Our conversation continued, us sharing little details about ourselves, and she asked me a question that … I can’t remember now. (Kristen just called me again and now I am a little shaken.. You’ll read why in a moment.) I looked up and laughed, and said that the answer was probably one for a third or fourth coffee date, but if she shares a second-coffee secret then I would do the same. I won’t share our secrets here, I haven’t had coffee with enough of you – but what’s more important was that we were just happily talking, getting along really well, joking and laughing and.. Anyone that saw us would have thought we were friends, it was relaxed and comfortable and natural. At another point, she again cocked her head slightly and asked me to slow down and repeat what I had just said, but that time it felt .. stranger. Less natural.
I asked if she knew how much of a stir iConfidant had caused, she mentioned that she would love to tell me more but she cannot, and that there are limits to what she knows about our reactions to things – but I did mention that if she needed help, there are a lot of us that would likely be willing to help her, which she found quite touching. I said that last year, I spent quite a lot of time trying to help someone who’d reached out to me.. and that regarding her fears of Stacey, a lot of my friends will try to help an underdog.

When she had to leave, I genuinely wished she could stay longer, I hugged her goodbye, waited for her to walk away and loaded up Periscope. I would meet her again at the drop of a hat, and I would insist on her trying the dirty chai latte next time.

…

I just rushed through the end of the coffee date description because she just called me again, and my mind is scattered now. She didn’t introduce herself, but I could recognize her voice through the crying.
I immediately started asking what was wrong, but she was crying too hard to tell me.
Then she said sorry. Then she kept saying sorry.

Then she said, “Morgan, I’m so sorry, but I promise, they didn’t find what they were looking for.”

Then she hung up.

I feel … awful. I have no way of reaching her, and I have no way of knowing what she meant. What were they looking for? Who is they? Will I ever hear from Kristen again? Was none of that real?

Heart ache: Now in progress.

@coryphella Right? Genuinely feel vulnerable now, and want to race to wherever Kristen is to help her.

And yes, I think you’re probably right, if they were using Kristen to study me it would make sense she would be upset for cheerily betraying my trust for them, but now I’m connecting disparate dots to try and make sense of what just happened. I hope she’s okay. =(
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… I hope I’m okay? Fuck.

[Edit] Forgot various details .. because … ugh, heartstrings.

I did ask what her absolute favorite food was, and she said bread. A French baguette, and she likes to eat the insides and then use the crust to eat pasta. Girl after my own heart, I told her that giving bread as her answer is probably illegal in North Hollywood and we could get in trouble. I said I have a terrible habit of making a sandwich out of *anything* I am eating, then asked her what her least favorite food is. She said she hasn’t eaten enough to know and doesn’t want to name something she’s never tried, then answered Tofu. I said she really needs to keep her voice down or we’re going to get arrested.

I am missing lots of little details like that, but nothing particularly revelatory, like I said it was just a really nice little time with a … …. ….. spy?

@macbethinabathtub @theladyj Yeah, seems I was set up for something.. but either I was too wary, or Kristin failed.. or maybe succeeded in protecting me? I should have known today would leave me emotionally busted.

@mkarrett Certainly seems that was the intention..

@coryphella That’s worrying.

@pandace88 ugh =*(

@daela No way of knowing yet. We’ll find out soon enough. =/

@theladyj This poster gets more upsetting each time I see it.

@russell Thank you for your encouragement, this was a tough one. Yes, I did end up thinking there was some kind of recording or monitoring going on, but I don’t know if that is other people’s theories influencing me, since she could have just been trying to concentrate on what I was saying. Unfortunately I don’t remember what I had to repeat, the first time it happened I thought it was just my accent tripping things up as usual, the second time I found it curious but, stupidly, didn’t stop to take note of what I’d said.
They may well have seen me as an easy target, I opened up last year in these situations without much coercion, as you know.
– When Kristen called me, sobbing terribly, and said they didn’t find what they were looking for … why was she crying? Was she crying because she betrayed me somehow? Or because she was punished for not uncovering what ‘they’ needed? This was the first time (ever) that I met someone from this world privately, so OOA / BoS / OSDM / iConfidant / whomever may not have been able to crack me open the way they wanted to. If I don’t get to hear from Kristen again, I hope someone does and .. I hope she’s okay, even if she never meant anything she said to me.

@larry This was sweet for you to write, and.. ugh, sad. If they used me as a test case for building or deploying technology, they’re exploring some dark spaces and their plan might not have worked as intended.

Maybe more people will get to meet Kristen tomorrow? 15 hours until we find out.