[Look like he's hit a brick wall. Rufus didn't garner as much information as he'd like, but he has a very broad stroke of where Alec lies on the "common man sympathizer" scale. Easy enough to avoid that minefield of a topic altogether.]

Not yet.

[Rufus relinquishes his own glass and moves around the counter. Darkstar lifts his head from his spot near the window, watching, but otherwise remains unmoving.

He crosses to the dining room table and cracks open the laptop resting there. The screen lights up with stark, white light.]

Since you're in such a hurry to get to business, might as well have you leave with your first gift to Avalanche.

[A few keystrokes, a second or two later, and then he's pulling a thin USB-like device from the computer's side. He holds it up, twirls it between forefinger and middle like he would a coin, before offering it to Alec in his palm.]

A taste to get them interested. Don't lose it.