-- plotHooked [PH] began pestering loanedAllegiance [LA] at 18:10 --
PH: ?ssssst. Hey. Hey, Aascam. Are you there? Are you manning your ?ost? You aren't slacking off, I ho?e!
LA: Ah, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ. Ni¢ € to m € €t ¥ou again.
LA: ¥ €$, I am at m¥ d €$k. It'$ diƒƒi¢u£t not to b €, ¢on$it €ring I'm und €r m¥ £u$u$' $¢rutin¥ at a££ tim €$.
PH: Have you ever ...
PH: ... thought ...
PH: ... and by thought, I mean ... ruminated, considered ...
PH: ... ?ossibly while you hold your head in both hands ...
PH: ... to look REALLY ?ensive, you understand ...
PH: ... that there miiiiight ...
PH: ... be ways ...
PH: ... AROUND the SINISTER scrutiny of your lusus?
PH: That ?erha?s he really WANTS you to find ways to cheat him?
PH: >:)
LA: B €£i €v € m €, in th € €ar£¥ da¥$ I tri €d to €$¢ap € man¥ tim €$.
LA: I wa$ a£wa¥$ un$u¢ €$$ƒu£.
LA: I'm not going to wa$t € th € €ƒƒort tr¥ing to p£ €a$ € him, I do w €££ €nough in h €r €.
PH: >:\ That ...
PH: ... sounds sus?iciously like something a failure of a businessassin would say.
PH: I can't imagine a TRUE hardboiled
PH: dirtydealing
PH: knifeflinging, debtclaiming
PH: BADASS
PH: from whom esca?e ...
PH: ... well, isn't even a nightdream
PH: that wrigglers raised u? on nightdreams of freedom
PH: and cotton candy
PH: and lolli?o?s
PH: would have
PH: because even THEY need to acknowledge
PH: the businessassin's ...
PH: ... excellence.
PH: Don't you think it might affect your SALES
PH: This ... chained to desk by a lowly, ?athetic lusus thing?
PH: >:(
LA: ...
LA: Wh¥ mu$t ¥ou ¢on$tant£¥ taunt m €, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ?
LA: A$ good a point a$ ¥ou mak €, and it -i$- a good point, I'v € tri €d.
LA: Ov €r and ov €r again.
LA: And in th € €nd I $aw it a$ mor € proƒitab£ € to $imp£¥ a¢¢ €pt m¥ £u$u$' t €rm$ in$t €ad oƒ wa$ting r €$our¢ €$ tr¥ing to avoid hi$ gaz €.
LA: That'$ a££ it i$.
LA: B €$id €$, I £ik € to think I'm gaining hi$ tru$t.
LA: A££ th € b €tt €r to ba¢k$tab him £at €r.
PH: I? Taunt you? Surely, watching someone with such ?otential sink deep into an uncom?romising mire of ?athetic drudgery, better suited to the oblivion of a cull, would be far, far worse of me. >:)
PH: And ...
PH: ... I see.
PH: So ...
PH: ... You have a ?lan. You wouldn't be interested ...
PH: ... AT ALL ...
PH: ... in a ?ro?osition.
PH: As regards your ?resent situation. Correct? >:(
LA: It d €p €nd$ on what ¥ou'r € propo$ing, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ.
PH: Freedom, Aascam! Freedom, the o?en road! Adventure, shenanigans, revenge -- served, naturally, ?i?ing HOT!
LA: And how do ¥ou propo$ € I do thi$?
PH: Wellllllll ...
PH: ... Do you really....
PH: .... WANT it?
PH: Are you sure you don't like being able to just ... do nothing, and blame everything on your guardian?
LA: Ar € ¥ou imp£¥ing that I do thi$ b €¢au$ € I want it?
LA: I'm not going to giv € ¥ou m¥ £iƒ € $tor¥, but it'$ a £ot mor € ¢omp£i¢at €d than that.
PH: Actually, Aascam! I am sitting here, ?raying that such an im?lication would be false and unfounded, com?letely baseless in actual fact, something even the BEST ficshi??ers would regard with com?lete and utter HORROR. You're ...
PH: ... trustworthy, right?
PH: When s?eaking about yourself? >:)
LA: Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ, I wou£d put ¥our mind at r €$t and t €££ ¥ou ¥ €$, oƒ ¢our$ €.
LA: I am ¢omp£ €t €£¥ hon €$t in a££ oƒ m¥ d €a£ing$.
LA: ¢omp£ €t €£¥ and tota££¥.
LA: Un£ik € a ¢ €rtain hair¥ ba$tard putting hi$ grubb¥ paw$ €v €r¥wh €r €, $t €a£ing €v €r¥thing that i$n't nai£ €d down.
LA: I hat € him $o mu¢h.
LA: But that'$ not th € point oƒ thi$ ¢onv €r$ation.
LA: M¥ apo£ogi €$.
PH: Hee, Hee! My mind ...
PH: is com?letely at rest now, Aascam.
PH: You have convinced me.
PH: I'm ?retty sure my wits have been dulled, ?ut back in their velvet lined case for a long, long rest, because that is how convincing I find your rich green-as-old-Caegers-pulled-from-an-e?ic-shi?wreck text!
PH: If nothing else, I believe you ?robably at least think you hate your Lusus.
PH: ... Hey, if he ...
PH: ... Watches you at all times...
PH: ... Can he read?
PH: Is he not ?erha?s reading this right now?
PH: Over your shoulder? With his s?ycameras?
PH: I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with any ?ro?ositions. >:)
PH: ... if ...
PH: ... that is indeed the case, anyway!
LA: Tru$t m €, h € ¢an r €ad €v €r¥thing w € $a¥, that $mug wa$t € ¢hut €.
LA: £ €t him, I want him to know how mu¢h I ab$o£ut €£¥ abhor him.
LA: *ah €m* Not in that wa¥, I m €an.
LA: In a "want to pun¢h him to d €ath" kind oƒ wa¥.
PH: >':) Are you suuuuuuuuuure? Your text might still be lovely shi?wreck money green, but the sentiments seem ?retty disgustingly (because, a LUSUS? REALLY?) black to me.
LA: No oƒƒ €n¢ €, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ, but ¥our ob €$$ion with roman¢ € i$ g €tting in th € wa¥ oƒ rationa£ thought.
PH: MmHmm. >:) I'll ... say no more, at least u?on THAT subject ...
PH: ... since it seems to be so ...
PH: ... scandalously touchy. >:P
LA: G €t a mov € on, App €££√∂ƒ.
LA: ¥ou w €r € ta£king about a propo$ition?
PH: Oh, yes! Indeed.
PH: It's ... in fact ... such a delightfull vicious ?ro?osition, I ?robably shouldn't bother laying it on the table ...
PH: ... at least ...
PH: ... not without certain SURETIES.
PH: However!
PH: We're friends, aren't we, Aascam? Buddies? ?als?
PH: >;)
LA: $ur €.
PH: "Sure"? What does that mean? I'm afraid it sounds like a vague, noncommittal way of saying "indisputably" or "accurate"? Would someone trustworthy say "Sure"?
PH: I'm interested in your ?rofessional o?inion on this matter, you see.
PH: >:) Since you're the most honest, hardboiled-to-be businessassin I know!
LA: It i$ th € kind oƒ thing on € might $a¥ iƒ th €¥ wou£d rath €r b € £i$t €ning to $om €on € mu¢h mor € $traightƒorward giv € th €m a propo$ition.
LA: I don't hav € a££ da¥.
LA: Tim € i$ mon €¥, ¥ou know.
PH: ?sht. Time is only money, Aascam, if it is squandered. Time squatted u?on like a fowlbeast with its viscous eggs does not actually make the eggs hatch more quickly or multi?ly. It just makes them go ... wasted, and eventually ... become stifled, rot away!
PH: Erk! Damn, Croc?o? is on the ?rowl. Here's the ?ro?osition in brief, then:
PH: Tell your lusus -- he IS an A?e, isn't he? Hairy, annoying, agile? --
PH: That you have been contracted by a member of the aristocracy
PH: ... a high?laced member ...
PH: ... for the fresh heart of an A?elusus.
PH: Quote a sum.
PH: The kind of sum businessassin's don't dare dream of.
PH: Wonder how you could ever get ahold of one!
PH: VERY IM?ORTANTLY:
PH: Be sure to mention this wealthy beyond the sco?e of this galaxy member of the aristocracy
PH: is an ex?ert on A?ehearts
PH: and could tell an A?eheart from a Trollheart
PH: At a sniff
PH: And then! Bam. Freedom. Either your lusus will need to go off and quest for its relatives in order to betray them, as Greed will dictate.
PH: Or it will be stu?id enough to kill itself, or ?erha?s allow you to kill it.
PH: And you can be free, do all the things you'd do with freedom that you've never had a chance to do. Doesn't that sound intoxicating, Aascam?
PH: Fabulous, beyond sim?le wealth?
LA: And ¥ou think m¥ £u$u$ wou£d b € moroni¢ €nough to b €£i €v € m €?
PH: Yes! Because it would be ?erfectly true. >:)
LA: What ar € ¥ou imp£¥ing, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ?
PH: Im?lying? I im?ly nothing, and say all com?letely forthrightly! I would be ha??y to a??ear to buy your freedom in such a way, Aascam. >:) I could even have a contract drafted u?.
PH: I like contracts. They're great ?ieces of fiction!
LA: ...
LA: I...
LA: I wi££ think about it.
PH: ... Oh, good! >:)
PH: ?sst. Hey, hey. Aascam?
LA: ¥ €$?
PH: You a??ear to have forgotten something.
LA: ¥ou m €an m¥ £u$u$? Don't worr¥ about that.
LA: Oƒ ¢our$ € h € ha$ b£ind $pot$ in hi$ $urv €i££an¢ €, I ju$t want €d to taunt him.
LA: H € $aw nothing.
PH: NO?E! That's not what I meant, at all. Although your lusus seems rather worrying. >:P It ?leases me that you've taken SOME ?recautions in the FIGHT for YOUR OWN freedom. I mean, really. Lusii are su??osed to be servants, not ... masters. >:|
LA: H € wou£d di$agr € € with ¥ou th €r €, but go on.
PH: >:P He would not disagree with ME, Aascam, for he would never get the chance! Fate would sna? him u? in its smiling jaws, gnash and tear until even his bones were a nonentity.
PH: And no, there's nowhere to go. It would be cruel of me to ?oint out all YOUR blinds?ots, when you'll do so much better to figure them out yourself! >:)
PH: Arlejrle, damn. I need to run! Bye!!!! Lovely s?eaking with you, as always. >;)
LA: ...Ind € €d, Mi$$ App €££√∂ƒ.
LA: Goodb¥ €.
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