<> <> <> * Threnody blinks and puts down the brush he was doing caligraphy with onto a DunInkstone because a real one from Earth would be a little hard to get on short notice. "Come in. It's unlocked." * Vera opens up the door. "Yo. It's me." * Threnody looks up. "Oh. Good evening." If you can find a seat, feel free to take one." * Vera clears some stuff off a flat surface and uses that for a seat. "Mind if I smoke?" * Threnody picks up the calligraphy brush again. "I don't, but the hotel might, as there's no ashtrays in here." * Vera shakes her head. "I can wait." She stretches her arms. * Threnody nods and finishes another stroke on the character he was working on, then sets the brush down and looks at Vera evenly. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" You, Roch and Ed being in this city. What's the deal? Thought you guys were gonna stay behind. * Threnody nods once. "It was a ruse. I knew it was important for Demetreia and Edward to both come here, even if they weren't together. So, we orchestrated a little deception." Mm... You get credit points for honesty, but it cancels out with the fact that our opinions mean shit to you. * Threnody sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "I knew this was coming. All I can offer is an apology, not an explanation. If there had been any way to do it without lying, I would have." * Vera crosses her legs and leans back. "You could've tried talking to us. I'm sure Deme wouldn't have listened, but the rest of us... Anyhow, yeah, that's awfully self-centered. * Threnody rests his elbow on the short little makeshit desk he's erected for calligraphying and puts his chin in his hand. "Maybe it is. I had a good reason, which... I can't give you, unfortunately. I suppose you're disinclined to trust me on that point." You got that right. * Threnody nods. "I understand that. But it's all I can offer." * Vera yawns once, goes for her cigarettes, then reminds herself not to smoke. "You strike me as a very uncaring person, Threnody. You're a lot like Roche, except better at putting up a facade that you actually do care." * Threnody sighs and looks down at the scroll he was drawing on. "It's unfortunate that you feel that way, but I don't have a response that wouldn't be considerably condescending." * Vera shrugs. "You wanna be that way, that's your business. And I ain't gonna trust you in the slightest, but I'm sure you don't care about that, either. Now, that's all fine..." But what really pisses me off is that you think you're so much better than us, but the minute you stick your ass in the fire, you come calling us to get you out. * Threnody tilts his head. "I'm sorry? I was all for waiting it out. My major concern was that if Dunno operatives had found us, they'd have found you and Demetreia as well." Yeah, well, they did find her. Out when we were saving you guys. It was Katherine's decision to bring a brigade to our rescue. Deme nearly died because of you. Think about that. Or maybe you're like Roch and you just don't care. * Threnody sighs again, tiredly, and rubs his eyes with his thumbs a little. "Again, all I can say is we knew things that you did not, so only we could act on them." Then maybe you better start sharing some info. As much as I could safely do, I did. I ain't sticking my neck out for you just so you can keep a precious secret or two. Clearly, it wasn't enough. * Threnody nods. "That may indeed be how it appears to some." You said yourself you knew something you couldn't tell us. * Threnody nods again. "You're right. It wasn't my place to share that particular secret. That's up to the people directly involved, not me." * Vera stares at Thren. She pulls out her gun. "The fact that I used this earlier today says I'm pretty damn directly involved." * Threnody wears a perfectly even expression. "If you want to pull the trigger, then you should. It's not going to change my mind in the slightest." * Vera twirls it once and stuffs it back in her coat. "Not good enough? How about the scalpel pressed against Deme's throat." Nah. I ain't gonna kill ya. After all, you could be my next month's rent. * Threnody continues to look at Vera placidly. "I was not out to hurt Demetreia. Even you must know that." Yeah. That doesn't change what happened to her, does it? * Threnody shakes his head. "No, it doesn't. But it doesn't change any of a thousand other factors that may have been involved, either. It was an unfortunate result of an already complicated situation." Maybe if you'd shared your oh-so-precious secret, we would have brought you along. Then we wouldn't have had to leave Deme alone saving you, and she wouldn't have been put in that position. Eh? Perhaps if just one person had remaind behind with Demetreia, she wouldn't have been kidnapped. Or the person who stayed behind would be dead now. Pointing blame after the fact seems fruitless. Roy did. He got knocked out. And it seems fruitful to me. I'm making sure it doesn't happen again. No such guarantee exists in the universe. No, but one guarantee does exist. I guarantee I can't trust you anymore. Not that I ever did, but it's clear that you've got more important things to worry about than the lives of people you pretend you care about. * Threnody picks up a cup of tea from the table, takes a sip, and then sets it down. "So you've said. But if I may ask... what is it you're really after? I've given all the apologies I can. I've said all the facts I can share." * Vera pulls out her gun again. "You know how I got this?" ( The AF gun ) * Threnody shakes his head. "I have not heard the story, no." It belonged to a member of the Concordat. He kept it in the basement of his apartment building. When we went there, the plan was for Ian, Fitz, Leo and I to go in while he was away. The others were to stay outside and warn us if that guy came back. * Vera shifts again. "Well, Roch happened to get a headache and decided to go home. Kat went with her, and Deme zoned out or something." So our backs weren't covered when we thought they were. (...what?) ( That's the story Vera heard >.> ) ( Kat came back, but she still walked Roch to the subway. ) (About a block away. ^^;) ( Vera didn't know that o/~ ) Now, Kat got back in time so that nothing happened. But it could have. So... I'm finding out who I can count on. That's what I'm after. * Threnody tilts his head. "You've already made your decision, though. You came in here perhaps willing to change your mind if I divulged whatever secret I had that prompted me to do all this. But I won't, so you've discarded that idea." He pauses. "An accurate analysis?" Yep. Pretty much. The question: Can I trust you or not? The answer: No. * Threnody sips his tea again. "If that is the conclusion you have reached, then that is the conclusion you must act upon." Yeah. I guess I'd just hoped you were the man you pretend to be. But you're just a manipulator, no better than the loan-sharks I've brought in in the past. * Threnody mms faintly. "I see." * Vera shrugs. "So... Yeah. There you have it. Your reaction ain't so different from Roche's, either." Similar minds, I guess. That sucks. * Threnody tilts his head again. "What were you expecting me to do? A person's mind is known best to him or herself and is largely immutable. Nothing I could say or do would have swayed you." I don't believe you. * Threnody nods, finishing his tea. "You likely never did. To me, it sounds as if you came simply for confirmation." * Vera shrugs. "Came because I believe in second chances." But the way you put it is close enough. Yeah, I came hoping you'd prove me wrong, and you didn't. * Threnody nods slowly. "Perhaps it is thus." Sure seems that way. It's just good to know that I don't have to risk my life saving yours anymore. * Threnody smiles pleasantly. "It must be a relief for you to think so." Wouldn't call it a relief, but yeah, it's good to know. * Threnody nods once, and after a pause dips the brush into some ink again. "For what it's worth, I apologize for how I acted in the lab toward you. It was uncalled for. I was simply..." A brushstroke, a very *strong* brushstroke. The ink blots a little and Thren makes a face. "...under considerable emotional strain." * Vera shrugs. "What's the deal with that guy who looks like you?" * Threnody dabs at the ink a bit, then sighs and sets down the brush. "I doubt you've ever heard the name Kataki Tsukitomi-Renard... but there is a possibility, since you work as a bounty hunter." Can't say I have, but I'll be keepin' my ears open now. * Threnody shakes his head. "There's no bounty for him. No crime to attach it to... not that they've found. But that man also happens to be my twin brother." Ah. That explains his dashing appearance. So you're bro's a crook? * Threnody smiles, faintly. "He's always looked more like Mother. I take after my father." A pause. "Kataki is a very dangerous individual. Much more so than most people realize. If he really was dealing with that doctor, then it's a sign of something terrible on the horizon." Why's that? * Threnody starts packing up the calligraphy set. "He's a 24, like myself. He has a mind control power, like that member of the Concordat you faced." He pauses a moment, looking into the empty teacup. "He's used it to make quite a name for himself in the underworld, and he's a highly talented swordsman, just like Mother." Well that sucks. * Threnody adds, quietly, "You don't know the half of it." What's the half of it? * Threnody looks at Vera with an expression that could only be classified as "old". "I'm sure there are parts of your past you'd like to keep to yourself. That is one of mine. Suffice it to say that Kataki's leaving the household was not under the best of terms." * Vera nods. "Gotcha. Now he's a crime boss out there lookin' for cyborgs." * Threnody nods in return. "I haven't figured out why. But..." He snaps the case on the calligraphy set shut. "It's not time for me to face him yet. My training's not over." How do you know? * Threnody blinks. "How do I know... what?" You just wake up one day and say "Oh! Now I'm ready! Awesome!" * Threnody shakes his head. "Nothing so simple. But... the study of the sword is as much a journey of personal growth as it is about learning how to fight. I don't think I've reached a point where I'm ready to confront him." Ahh. We gunners don't have that problem. * Threnody stands up and brushes off his slacks. "Kataki is the one who's offering the bounty on my head. It's not official, but it is for a rather large sum." He smiles pleasantly. "There is one for my mother, also, though only a fool would take it." Mm... Why's that? * Threnody clears his throat. "The last time I spoke with her was a number of years ago... at Christmastime on Earth, I believe. The death toll on bounty hunters coming to collect was becoming unnervingly high." He smiles pleasantly. "I think that discouraged most of the rest, though." Ahh. I'm not terribly sure why he would want to kill her... but I know why he wants to kill me. Why zat? * Threnody walks over to a dresser and sticks the calligraphy box inside. "His power doesn't work on me." Ahh. That's cool. Mind control sucks. I can tell you that first hand. * Threnody nods solemnly. "I know. I wish I had been there with you in New Mexico. I'm sorry you had to go through that." Eh, Leo's okay. And the guy's dead. Can't complain. * Threnody chuckles. "You really are unflappable. I'm envious." Uh, dunno what you mean by that. Don't really have a code to live by or anything, though, so I wouldn't count on it.