Getting Old
The old vie leaned back in his chair, his face a mask of discontent and the pain of age. His unimpressed gaze lingered on her for a moment before he sneered and looked away.
Padricia hadn't learned to read what his expressions meant and, frankly, she didn't much care to. She didn't have to understand him, she just had to make him work. Though she suspected he wasn't taking her threat very seriously.
"Braid tried this same tactic years ago, and he did it better." The Doctor said finally.
"Its all as pointless as your reason to come in here to harass me." Yes that sounded like a dismissal to her. A hollow one at that, with how hard he was griping the arm rest. He must think she was bluffing. She opened her mouth to respond, but he kept going. "My idiot son already made it clear he'd hurt himself more than you could think of hurting him, just to make a stupid point." He prattled on.
"I'm already doing what you want, the aimless gesturing on your part is tireing. Regardless, if you simply must needlessly threaten me, you may want to rethink your strategy as to how."
He made a shooing motion with his spindly old hand before gripping his armrest again, as if the thought of talking to her left a bad smell in the air. "Is that so?" Padricia started to wondered if he was holding on so hard just to keep from slumping over, or if she was actually getting a reaction. Perhaps she'd been a bit rough when capturing him. Hopefully that didn't hurt his performance, she'd have to be more careful with fragile things going forward. It was dreadfully hard though, he was so very good at getting under her skin.
"You're only being a nuisance." He retorted. "Pity." She said in as uninterested a manner as she could manage, while pulling a round object from her bag. She rolled it absently in her hand as she spoke. She tried not to telegraph how much she was watching for a reaction. The old man's face set in a grimace as his eyes locked onto the object. Ha, yes she had to have hit a nerve. "I suppose I don't need to keep the old pirate alive anymore then. I have my own score to settle with him anyway." The bulgy eyed old chiuov looked away and shrugged as she tossed the mechanical eye onto the table. It was too late for him to pretend, she'd seen it.
Padricia turned around to hide her gleeful grin and acted as if she was done and leaving. Even this wretched old bastard had a weakness, and she was sure she'd found it. "Wait." He stalled, far to obviously. "Even idiots might still have a usefulness to them." She could almost hear how hard he was gripping his armrest as he spoke, and was half afraid his old fingers would snap right off. Really she should have thought of this sooner, despite his words to the contrary, it was clear Adavn had kept him in line this way as well. The problem with Adavn was that he was too soft, he'd never have followed through on these sorts of threats. She had already proved she was willing to with the trinket. "Unlikely." She paused to listen, but didn't bother turning around. "He's already too much trouble as it is." "The mind breaker system." He was grasping at straws now. "I'll need a test subject for it." The old vie's voice hardened, becoming detached and practical.
"He's survived it's pull before without succumbing to the break. Never developed... Blast, what did Mecdir call it?" He paused and drummed his fingers on his chair, seemingly calmed down.
"Maniactrosity? I believe that was his name for it?" "You managed that twice now. You are a very poor liar, Cristov." He must be desperate to suggest using his own son as a test subject. "I know you were never very clever Hill, but at the very least try to get my name correct. It's Clarroy." Padricia's eye twitched as she turned back to him. Oh how she wished they had a better option so she could shut his rude mouth forever. "I can't very well go experimenting on myself now can I?" He continued, sighing heavily as if it was a great pain to explain it.
"Unfortunately that over-sized laugh-happy buffoon is the only reason I made it out with my senses intact in the first place. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage when priming the subject. A point of stabilization, as it where. If he is to remain stable you should be careful what damage you create to his mental space. Torture is likely out." "Do you think I'm an idiot?" She scoffed, beyond annoyed. "I kn-" "Clearly." He interrupted her.
"Though I'm not sure why you find the need to bring that up now. I was brought here because I'm the best, you seem to have forgotten. No one has me around because they enjoy my presence, I'm not senile enough to think I wouldn't be here if you didn't need me to be." Blasted old bone sack, he was right of course. She'd have sooner tossed him off out of the clouddriver than bring him back here, had she but the choice. "I'm giving you my opinion, as a doctor. Its only a coincidence that it happens to keep my boy alive. If he wasn't useful to my work I wouldn't bother bringing it up." He chided her.
"Now, he's too dangerous to be to simply lock up. I would suggest sedation." "How dare you tell me how to do my job, you loathsome skeletal goblin." Her fingers twitched at her weapon belt, wanting to make him pay for his insolence. This would go so much smoother if he wasn't so self aware. "Yes yes, we all know you're oh so very eager to use your sword Hill. That is your job correct? Heavens know I wouldn't know how to use it, far be it from me to ever bother telling you how to wave it around. I'm sure you do that just fine." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, tell me whatever it was you hoped to accomplish by threatening me, so I can consider it. Otherwise, if you could, leave and let me get back to my work. I would appreciate it, I suppose. You see, unlike you, my job is actually important and requires some degree of concentration and thought." He gave her another one of those bored disgruntled looks, like it wasn't even worth his time to be pleased with himself for putting her down. Oh how she was going to relish the day they no longer needed him. Maybe she should do more than just end him, maybe she should try to enjoy it when the time came. She deserved that for putting up with this disrespect, didn't she? Normal people didn't talk like this. It was wholly unnecessary and made working with him all the worse. "Don't tempt me, you hateful demon. And don't pretend you're in here working hard, moping in your cell. But I-" "Yes yes, get on with it." His abuse was endless, the insolent vulgar scarecrow. "I can't leave without delivering Mr. Edwards message." She paused for another interruption, but this time none came. "Vear suspects you tampered with the Bori Project and his own recovery. Preventing such tampering is the purpose of the threats. Though I suppose we'll have to resort to direct supervision at all times. I hope you enjoy your new roommate, you vile monster." "Mecdir said that?" His look took her off guard, for a moment he almost looked like a person. As if his feelings had been hurt. Interesting. She'd struck a nerve, really? Best to keep striking it. Maybe the villain would recoil back into the darkness and keep his comments to himself. "No matter, he can think what he pleases. You may not take my work seriously Hill, with all your silly little threats and nicknames, but I do. I have no intention of harming an experiment with petty sabotage. But, if it gets you to stop bothering me, watch whatever you like." He continued as if he didn't really care. "Petty is exactly the word for you, 'Doctor', betraying your helpless colleague as you have. I heard that while he was being savagely beaten, by your experiment, you were just sitting there, laughing." There that should d- The old man's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth twitched up into something like a smile. "It was wondrous." He whispered breathlessly, putting his hand to his face in seeming ecstasy. Padricia turned to the door, she had to look away. She'd been wrong, she hadn't seen any true reactions until this moment. He didn't care about the pirate as anything more than a tool, nor was he hurt by Vear's words. But that look just then, that was real. That was pure lust. A sickeningly overwhelming pleasure at the though of what happened to his 'friend'.
She needed to get out of that room.
Now. "That will be enough. G-good day." It was pointless trying to reason with such an evil creature.
"Its all as pointless as your reason to come in here to harass me." Yes that sounded like a dismissal to her. A hollow one at that, with how hard he was griping the arm rest. He must think she was bluffing. She opened her mouth to respond, but he kept going. "My idiot son already made it clear he'd hurt himself more than you could think of hurting him, just to make a stupid point." He prattled on.
"I'm already doing what you want, the aimless gesturing on your part is tireing. Regardless, if you simply must needlessly threaten me, you may want to rethink your strategy as to how."
He made a shooing motion with his spindly old hand before gripping his armrest again, as if the thought of talking to her left a bad smell in the air. "Is that so?" Padricia started to wondered if he was holding on so hard just to keep from slumping over, or if she was actually getting a reaction. Perhaps she'd been a bit rough when capturing him. Hopefully that didn't hurt his performance, she'd have to be more careful with fragile things going forward. It was dreadfully hard though, he was so very good at getting under her skin.
"You're only being a nuisance." He retorted. "Pity." She said in as uninterested a manner as she could manage, while pulling a round object from her bag. She rolled it absently in her hand as she spoke. She tried not to telegraph how much she was watching for a reaction. The old man's face set in a grimace as his eyes locked onto the object. Ha, yes she had to have hit a nerve. "I suppose I don't need to keep the old pirate alive anymore then. I have my own score to settle with him anyway." The bulgy eyed old chiuov looked away and shrugged as she tossed the mechanical eye onto the table. It was too late for him to pretend, she'd seen it.
Padricia turned around to hide her gleeful grin and acted as if she was done and leaving. Even this wretched old bastard had a weakness, and she was sure she'd found it. "Wait." He stalled, far to obviously. "Even idiots might still have a usefulness to them." She could almost hear how hard he was gripping his armrest as he spoke, and was half afraid his old fingers would snap right off. Really she should have thought of this sooner, despite his words to the contrary, it was clear Adavn had kept him in line this way as well. The problem with Adavn was that he was too soft, he'd never have followed through on these sorts of threats. She had already proved she was willing to with the trinket. "Unlikely." She paused to listen, but didn't bother turning around. "He's already too much trouble as it is." "The mind breaker system." He was grasping at straws now. "I'll need a test subject for it." The old vie's voice hardened, becoming detached and practical.
"He's survived it's pull before without succumbing to the break. Never developed... Blast, what did Mecdir call it?" He paused and drummed his fingers on his chair, seemingly calmed down.
"Maniactrosity? I believe that was his name for it?" "You managed that twice now. You are a very poor liar, Cristov." He must be desperate to suggest using his own son as a test subject. "I know you were never very clever Hill, but at the very least try to get my name correct. It's Clarroy." Padricia's eye twitched as she turned back to him. Oh how she wished they had a better option so she could shut his rude mouth forever. "I can't very well go experimenting on myself now can I?" He continued, sighing heavily as if it was a great pain to explain it.
"Unfortunately that over-sized laugh-happy buffoon is the only reason I made it out with my senses intact in the first place. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage when priming the subject. A point of stabilization, as it where. If he is to remain stable you should be careful what damage you create to his mental space. Torture is likely out." "Do you think I'm an idiot?" She scoffed, beyond annoyed. "I kn-" "Clearly." He interrupted her.
"Though I'm not sure why you find the need to bring that up now. I was brought here because I'm the best, you seem to have forgotten. No one has me around because they enjoy my presence, I'm not senile enough to think I wouldn't be here if you didn't need me to be." Blasted old bone sack, he was right of course. She'd have sooner tossed him off out of the clouddriver than bring him back here, had she but the choice. "I'm giving you my opinion, as a doctor. Its only a coincidence that it happens to keep my boy alive. If he wasn't useful to my work I wouldn't bother bringing it up." He chided her.
"Now, he's too dangerous to be to simply lock up. I would suggest sedation." "How dare you tell me how to do my job, you loathsome skeletal goblin." Her fingers twitched at her weapon belt, wanting to make him pay for his insolence. This would go so much smoother if he wasn't so self aware. "Yes yes, we all know you're oh so very eager to use your sword Hill. That is your job correct? Heavens know I wouldn't know how to use it, far be it from me to ever bother telling you how to wave it around. I'm sure you do that just fine." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, tell me whatever it was you hoped to accomplish by threatening me, so I can consider it. Otherwise, if you could, leave and let me get back to my work. I would appreciate it, I suppose. You see, unlike you, my job is actually important and requires some degree of concentration and thought." He gave her another one of those bored disgruntled looks, like it wasn't even worth his time to be pleased with himself for putting her down. Oh how she was going to relish the day they no longer needed him. Maybe she should do more than just end him, maybe she should try to enjoy it when the time came. She deserved that for putting up with this disrespect, didn't she? Normal people didn't talk like this. It was wholly unnecessary and made working with him all the worse. "Don't tempt me, you hateful demon. And don't pretend you're in here working hard, moping in your cell. But I-" "Yes yes, get on with it." His abuse was endless, the insolent vulgar scarecrow. "I can't leave without delivering Mr. Edwards message." She paused for another interruption, but this time none came. "Vear suspects you tampered with the Bori Project and his own recovery. Preventing such tampering is the purpose of the threats. Though I suppose we'll have to resort to direct supervision at all times. I hope you enjoy your new roommate, you vile monster." "Mecdir said that?" His look took her off guard, for a moment he almost looked like a person. As if his feelings had been hurt. Interesting. She'd struck a nerve, really? Best to keep striking it. Maybe the villain would recoil back into the darkness and keep his comments to himself. "No matter, he can think what he pleases. You may not take my work seriously Hill, with all your silly little threats and nicknames, but I do. I have no intention of harming an experiment with petty sabotage. But, if it gets you to stop bothering me, watch whatever you like." He continued as if he didn't really care. "Petty is exactly the word for you, 'Doctor', betraying your helpless colleague as you have. I heard that while he was being savagely beaten, by your experiment, you were just sitting there, laughing." There that should d- The old man's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth twitched up into something like a smile. "It was wondrous." He whispered breathlessly, putting his hand to his face in seeming ecstasy. Padricia turned to the door, she had to look away. She'd been wrong, she hadn't seen any true reactions until this moment. He didn't care about the pirate as anything more than a tool, nor was he hurt by Vear's words. But that look just then, that was real. That was pure lust. A sickeningly overwhelming pleasure at the though of what happened to his 'friend'.
She needed to get out of that room.
Now. "That will be enough. G-good day." It was pointless trying to reason with such an evil creature.
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