*** BlackHat has joined 333.07.333.06 <BlackHat> ^J help <BlackHat> help <BlackHat> J <BlackHat> Official business with Black Hat only. Don't waste my time.
"Uhhhhh." [Articulate words befitting only of the world's ultimate genius. Addressing his boss while staring at the pint-sized super does little to add to the mystique.]
"An.. Earphone Jack, here to see you sir..?" [And like any good henchmen he clears the way to show her in. Rather different from any henchmen however-- or rather, just Flug at the prospect of listening to musical lessons-- the arachne lingers close by instead of going back to his typical area with a watchful eye not protectively, not at all.
Black Hat doesn't need to see his mouth to know he would probably be mouthing a question right about now, fiercely staring at his employer from behind the apparently oblivious acquaintance they BOTH apparently share. What is this all about?]
[Aaaand in she goes! Looking back at Flug with a look of confusion as she wanders inside, her speaker letting out a couple of confused tones as she does. And then that looks turned to Black Hat.]
Wait, so... if you work with Doctor Flug, then -
[Back to Flug, with a point. Whiiich gets turned back to Black Hat, and her face twists up.]
... That means you're a Villain too, doesn't it.
[It's not a question. It's not even mad or hurt. It's flat and resigned, as if she's just upset she didn't see it coming.]
[Aunamee had implied as much to her at least, though he's a bit miffed that she may have believed Aunamee.
But the fact that she isn't accusing him, isn't outraged, is novel. Perhaps this isn't the end of his little game for himself. She's also not scared - he notes this with less pleasure.]
I see you're already acquainted with my employee. [Black Hat flings a glare back at Flug as he says it. Flug failed to mention this little 'friend' he'd made.] How did that come about? He's not usually one to be particularly outgoing.
[Especially not to heroes comes the unspoken addition.]
I had a bad feeling in my gut, but I ignored it... there are a lotta Heroes back home that give you a bad gut feeling, too, so it's kinda normal to just ignore it if someone's not being like, outright bad?
[They have a whole ranking for Villain-like Heroes, after all!!
She's starting to seem a little flustered now, with the way her cables are pulling up and in, though it doesn't show in her voice at all. Too synthetic for something like that.]
But please don't get mad at him - I'm the one who spoke to him first. We met at the mall, I got excited because I didn't see any bug-like monsters until I met him, you know? We... we ended up swapping memories at the parasite hive. That's how I know he's a Villain.
[...
She doesn't sound upset about that fact. She doesn't look upset about that fact. Flug just is a Villain, that's it.]
[Asking Black Hat to not get mad at someone is asking the ocean to not be salty. But for now, he'll control it. A tempered rage is, at times, more satisfying. Not to mention Flug will know it's coming.
He holds his glare at Flug for a moment longer, and then breaks it to focus on Earphone Jack.]
The parasites didn't give us much choice in the matter of which memories were exchanged.
[It sounds like he's accepting this explanation, but Black Hat does not believe for a minute that Flug had no idea about Jack being a hero in turn. Not with how Flug is acting.]
So. You have, in a sense, stepped into the lion's den. What happens next?
[Shockingly, aside from the usual gravel, there's no threat to Black Hat's tone. He is curious to know what this little hero, one who knowingly asked him to spare another villain his wrath, expects of him. A hero who accepted her fate as a monster readily, and all that would entail.
[For a moment, she's quiet. Keeping her eyes on Black Hat as the moment passes. And then, without breaking her gaze, she dips her head toward what's in his hands - that synthetic voice of hers filtering back in with nothing more than a short tone to herald it.]
Well, I was hoping it'd be my first violin lesson.
[The silence lingers just a bit longer. And then...
And then Black Hat laughs.]
You are a bold one, aren't you?
[It's what he wanted to hear. But he can't help waiting to hear her response before he offers her the lesser of the two instruments. It's for his own fun. He is a villain, after all.]
[If she could still laugh, she would have, too - Instead, her speaker lets out something like a record scratch. A robotic huff in something close to amusement.]
I'm starting to realize you can't throw a dart without hitting some kind of Villain in the ass around here. I'd say better to make allies with the honest ones than to try and put up with the ones who think they're good guys, right?
[A sort of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" situation, in a sense.]
At least if you guys do me wrong, it won't be out of some kinda nasty, deluded martyrdom.
[Oh, he likes that. No need to convince her it's for the best to throw her lot in with the unsavory villains of Ryslig - she's concluded that on her own.
This is going to be fun.]
Everyone here already kills or worse to survive. By some definitions, that would make every monster a villain. Better the enemy you know than the one with a stick up his arse about false righteousness.
[For a second, just a second, his glance flits back to Flug, and it hardens. Then he returns to Jack, smirks, and holds out the violin.]
[There's a moment's pause on her end, looking down at the violin - But it's not hesitation. More like a second of pensiveness before she finally takes that violin, both hands reaching out with her cables joining them to wrap carefully around the little instrument.
Beat up thought it may be, it's still an instrument; she cares pretty deeply about those.]
... Right. Though, that means you guys aren't exactly enemies, huh?
Black Hat, the answer to that is nothing. At least, nothing like, actually formally trained? She lifts her own violin up and tucks it beneath her chin, doing her level best to mimic him in posture and stance.]
I've played guitar all my life, so I know the basics of fingering chords on string instruments. I've used a bow on a guitar, too, for one of my dad's projects? Since a bass with a bow sounds like a cello with distortion and reverb. So I have an idea of how to use those.
[There's a small chance only part of that makes sense to him, but she knows she probably doesn't need to bother explaining it to him. Unless he wants to learn the exciting world of guitars.]
But aside from that, I've never held a violin in my life.
Together at last!
"An.. Earphone Jack, here to see you sir..?" [And like any good henchmen he clears the way to show her in. Rather different from any henchmen however-- or rather, just Flug at the prospect of listening to musical lessons-- the arachne lingers close by instead of going back to his typical area with a watchful eye
not protectively, not at all.Black Hat doesn't need to see his mouth to know he would probably be mouthing a question right about now, fiercely staring at his employer from behind the apparently oblivious acquaintance they BOTH apparently share. What is this all about?]
no subject
And then that looks turned to Black Hat.]
Wait, so... if you work with Doctor Flug, then -
[Back to Flug, with a point.
Whiiich gets turned back to Black Hat, and her face twists up.]
... That means you're a Villain too, doesn't it.
[It's not a question. It's not even mad or hurt. It's flat and resigned, as if she's just upset she didn't see it coming.]
no subject
[Aunamee had implied as much to her at least, though he's a bit miffed that she may have believed Aunamee.
But the fact that she isn't accusing him, isn't outraged, is novel. Perhaps this isn't the end of his little game for himself. She's also not scared - he notes this with less pleasure.]
I see you're already acquainted with my employee. [Black Hat flings a glare back at Flug as he says it. Flug failed to mention this little 'friend' he'd made.] How did that come about? He's not usually one to be particularly outgoing.
[Especially not to heroes comes the unspoken addition.]
no subject
[They have a whole ranking for Villain-like Heroes, after all!!
She's starting to seem a little flustered now, with the way her cables are pulling up and in, though it doesn't show in her voice at all.
Too synthetic for something like that.]
But please don't get mad at him - I'm the one who spoke to him first.
We met at the mall, I got excited because I didn't see any bug-like monsters until I met him, you know?
We... we ended up swapping memories at the parasite hive. That's how I know he's a Villain.
[...
She doesn't sound upset about that fact. She doesn't look upset about that fact.
Flug just is a Villain, that's it.]
no subject
He holds his glare at Flug for a moment longer, and then breaks it to focus on Earphone Jack.]
The parasites didn't give us much choice in the matter of which memories were exchanged.
[It sounds like he's accepting this explanation, but Black Hat does not believe for a minute that Flug had no idea about Jack being a hero in turn. Not with how Flug is acting.]
So. You have, in a sense, stepped into the lion's den. What happens next?
[Shockingly, aside from the usual gravel, there's no threat to Black Hat's tone. He is curious to know what this little hero, one who knowingly asked him to spare another villain his wrath, expects of him. A hero who accepted her fate as a monster readily, and all that would entail.
He hasn't set down either violin.]
no subject
And then, without breaking her gaze, she dips her head toward what's in his hands - that synthetic voice of hers filtering back in with nothing more than a short tone to herald it.]
Well, I was hoping it'd be my first violin lesson.
no subject
And then Black Hat laughs.]
You are a bold one, aren't you?
[It's what he wanted to hear. But he can't help waiting to hear her response before he offers her the lesser of the two instruments. It's for his own fun. He is a villain, after all.]
no subject
Instead, her speaker lets out something like a record scratch. A robotic huff in something close to amusement.]
I'm starting to realize you can't throw a dart without hitting some kind of Villain in the ass around here.
I'd say better to make allies with the honest ones than to try and put up with the ones who think they're good guys, right?
[A sort of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" situation, in a sense.]
At least if you guys do me wrong, it won't be out of some kinda nasty, deluded martyrdom.
no subject
This is going to be fun.]
Everyone here already kills or worse to survive. By some definitions, that would make every monster a villain. Better the enemy you know than the one with a stick up his arse about false righteousness.
[For a second, just a second, his glance flits back to Flug, and it hardens. Then he returns to Jack, smirks, and holds out the violin.]
no subject
But it's not hesitation. More like a second of pensiveness before she finally takes that violin, both hands reaching out with her cables joining them to wrap carefully around the little instrument.
Beat up thought it may be, it's still an instrument; she cares pretty deeply about those.]
... Right.
Though, that means you guys aren't exactly enemies, huh?
[At least for now?]
no subject
Not for the time being.
[To claim otherwise would would make him the same as Aunamee. After all, he is honest about his villainy.]
Now, to begin. How much do you know already? Show me.
no subject
Black Hat, the answer to that is nothing. At least, nothing like, actually formally trained?
She lifts her own violin up and tucks it beneath her chin, doing her level best to mimic him in posture and stance.]
I've played guitar all my life, so I know the basics of fingering chords on string instruments.
I've used a bow on a guitar, too, for one of my dad's projects? Since a bass with a bow sounds like a cello with distortion and reverb.
So I have an idea of how to use those.
[There's a small chance only part of that makes sense to him, but she knows she probably doesn't need to bother explaining it to him.
Unless he wants to learn the exciting world of guitars.]
But aside from that, I've never held a violin in my life.