[IC] [Mask or Menace] Contact Post

[dendarii]

"This is Miles. Leave a message and I'll respond to you at my earliest convenience."

The line has gone silent; any messages sent to this name only return an error.

Comments

[jacksonian]

So then why do you do what you do?

[ Aside from the long, long litany of mental problems included in your psych profile. ]

[dendarii]

.... That's a very vague question, Mr. Kane.

[jacksonian]

If you think what you do doesn't win you friends, why do you keep on with it?

[dendarii]

Because I've tried other things and they definitely don't work.

[jacksonian]

Okay, well, it's your business.

[dendarii]

What about you then? Making any friends here?

[jacksonian]

And that's my business.

[dendarii]

You can't tell me anything? Come on.

[jacksonian]

No.

[dendarii]

Tell me something else then.

[jacksonian]

No.

[dendarii]

[ Hmm. He remembers a similar game he played with someone else who likes money ... ]

Trade you? A question for a question.

[jacksonian]

Like I even need that sort of exchange. I can get you talking about yourself without offering anything up at all.

[ He's not saying no, though. In spite of everything...in spite of his caution - well...He could leave well enough alone. Stay far far away from the Dendarii and Miles. But there's a poisonous spark of obsession in him. Too much time spent watching broadcasts of his progenitor on the network, just like he used to watch videos at home... ]

[dendarii]

There's a difference between patter and a real question. I swear you'll get the full truth from me.

[ And he means it, verbal contract and all. How bad could it be? ]

[jacksonian]

[ A few minutes before: ]

I won't answer if you get too nosy.

[dendarii]

Fine. The same to you, then.

[ Protection for Gregor, which suits him fine. ]

[jacksonian]

How do you feel about your creators?

[ Going for the masochistic questions first. ]

[dendarii]

[ ... Yikes. Immediate lie-calling right off the bat. Well, he could dodge and talk about his parents, but ... He gave his word, and he's tiring of this cover anyway. ]

Ah. You've caught me out. I'm no clone. But if you'd like my opinion of my parents, I can provide that.

[jacksonian]

[ ...In a way, it's disappointing. The clone had been hating him so powerfully, so sickeningly powerfully, over that lie. To just have him confess that it's not - that it wasn't ever true - it cuts the legs out from under his hatred. Just a little. And that...for some reason, that's infuriating. For some reason, that makes him tremble with rage.

It takes a moment before he can even start to type again. ]

Well, that's a change.

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, stares at his comm waiting for an answer. He was expecting a bit more of an answer after a pause of that length. ]

My apologies. It was a safety measure - not really needed any more.

[jacksonian]

A safety measure. Sure. So who are you, then?

[dendarii]

We're trading questions, Mr. Kane. That means it's my turn.

[jacksonian]

You didn't answer my question. You answered some other question.

[dendarii]

I gave you a truthful response and offered an alternative. My creators are my parents - do you want to hear about them?

[jacksonian]

[ Let's salvage a bit of masochism. ]

Yeah. Let's hear about them.