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[ Oh thank god. Relief sounds over the link to Gregor - a quick reassurance that he's perfectly fine, no danger - before he mentally refocuses on the actual physical situation in front of him. He's quick to eye the device and then Callaghan with suspicion. ]

Power dampener?

[to that, Callaghan nods, remaining seated with his palms clasped before him.]

I trust my school, but I don't necessarily trust the situation. There's a few other quirks on it to discourage more mundane methods.

[ He opens his mouth to ask if Callaghan is really that scared of Miles - with all the self-deprecating sarcasm that deserves - and then pauses. Ah. He sees the tactical side now. ]

... You don't want to be overheard.

[ He gestures vaguely to his sternum. ]

[another nod. bingo.]

Call it being overcautious, but I'd rather be safer than sorry. If you'd feel better...

[he reaches forwards - again, slowly - and pushes the device a bit more towards the far side of the desk. Miles' side. it's a little too cumbersome to simply pick up and hold in a hand, but it can be scooted. he gestures to a little extension.]

It's just a simple toggle. You can play with it a bit, if you'd like.

[ He leans forward to examine the device. As much as he loathes shutting down the link, he gets the feeling that they should be very careful about discussing this anywhere Lucifer has the potential to hear. (He outlines this logic, briefly, and passes it on to Gregor. Whether his Emperor agrees or not, he's still going to turn the toggle to off.) ]

No, I see your point. I trust, then, that you are not one of Lucifer's stalwart friends.

[only when the humming starts does Callaghan talk - and not before some of the tension he hadn't been aware of bleeds out from him. there's another shift as well...it's not so much that he drops a facade, but he does seem to believe that the first hurdle is passed, and manages a humorless chuckle]

He'd like me to be, which is why I wanted to talk to you. How'd he convince you to wear the thing?

[ A snort. Convince, that's a funny word. ]

He wasn't quite so polite as that. Etched it on me without my consent or knowledge, after he'd finished just about torturing me. I'm having a hell of a time convincing him to remove the damn thing.

[well, Lucifer sure as hell didn't mention that, and Robert can understand why. he makes a face.] That's taken care of. Any lingering effects other than regret?

[ That, too, gets a hell of a face. ]

Did he mention my bone condition, perhaps? If not he really should have. Removing the mark physically is quite impossible for me.

He mentioned you had a condition that made it lethal to remove. He didn't mention exactly what it was, but I can guess. [he doesn't make that guess out loud, but Miles can offer it if he wants to.] Supposedly it can go anywhere, from here [a quick gesture at his own chest] to a finger. What I don't understand is why he was so adamant on tapping you.

I don't entirely understand myself. Interest, he says. A hub for other connections.

[ Rubbish, he thinks. Miles alone is worth nothing, less than nothing. As for an explanation of the bone condition ... he reaches into the messenger bag he'd brought with him, pulling out several x-ray photographs. They show the sigil emblazoned on his sternum - but also how terribly weak his bones are. The sternum itself is nearly transparent on the x-ray, so frail that a hard blow could shatter it instantly. ]

[oh? interesting- Robert takes them with clear curiosity, looking them over. his eyes go from the mark to noticing the thinness, to the mark, to Miles...] Remind me never to ask you to do any heavy lifting.

[joking aside, he sets the photographs down, tapping the mark. so if that's what he's agreed to wear, on a trial basis...]

He wants me because of my connections to the school. I don't like the thought of him using them, or any of my others.

[ It does fit with his reduced stature. Clearly something that affected his development. ]

I would have to refuse you, yes.

[ A wry smile that fades after a moment. Lucifer with dominion over a school headmaster ... that seems unwise. ]

Then don't agree to anything he offers you. Especially not a mark. Enchantable to do any number of things, or so I've heard.

The thing is, I went to him. [he takes a moment to let that sink in.] Normally, I'd be more than happy to let him rot where he is. But there's another project I'm working on, one which is in his interest to help complete...among others'.

[ Yeah, he's sideying you a bit sir. ]

... Which would be what, exactly?

[for that? Callaghan just regards him silently for a long moment, then closes his eyes.]

Suffice it to say if it works, we'll have a lot less to worry about from Russia. If it doesn't, we're no worse off than we were before.

Until it's operational, I'd rather not discuss details. I trust my work [he tilts his head towards his device] but the less who know, the better. How long has it been since he put it on you? [subject change back towards the Mark; go.]

[ Oh he recognizes the subject change. And he doesn't like it. A frown crosses his face. ]

He put it on me as we were escaping from the submarine. So ... a week ago? Week and a half?

[woah woah woah wait a minute. eyes open, eyes focused.]

He was torturing you during that time? And nobody stopped him?

-- Oh, no. God no. He was murdering Russians during the breakout and I tried to stop him. That was his response.

[okay that's...well, that's not better, but there's the very slightest of shrugs, insomuch well that makes more sense.]

You're a brave man, mister Naismith. One of my former students tried the same thing and had some ribs broken. [there's a tone of respect there, for the both of them. he's clearly not happy about Lucifer being...Lucifer...but. well.

he lets out a breath.]

Before you bring it up, yes, I know I'm playing with fire. That's why I asked you here, so I could get an idea of else is in this damned 'deal', and so I at least have some warnings. Maybe make a countermeasure or two. [the very, very slightest of headtilts towards his device.] What else do you know?

Brave, maybe. Stupid, more likely. I hope your student had better weapons than I.

[ He just snorts a bit, brushing off the compliment. ]

About Lucifer? Very little. I've tried to avoid him as much as possible.

I taught her. [so she has her head. and her aim. and her...being Gogo. that's pretty formidable.] That, and she's faced worse.

[moving on.]

Did you have any encounters with him before?

[ He shakes his head a bit. ]

My very first time. I must have truly pissed him off.

So why would he focus on you? Why would he care about your connections if he barely knew you?

I have no idea. He seems to want to be a guardian angel to someone very badly.

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