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 Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:25 pm
"Two against one doesn't sound very fair," Ptolemy commented, attempting to indirectly counter the knight's remark that it was just two generals as if they were nothing. "But I suppose the Negaverse isn't known for playing fair when it comes to its M.O."
He considered Scholomance's concept about the Negaverse potentially having a bureaucracy ladder. Since he'd been interested in learning more about the organization anyway, he could use the opportunity to find out if they did, in fact, work that way. Perhaps he could start by asking Huntite. The more he learned about their rules, the more he could find ways to bend, circumvent, and use them against others, such as the generals, Schörl and Cinnabar.
The Dark Mirror senshi snickered softly at the knight's detailed descriptions of the two ladies, particularly when it came to his attempt to define Cinnabar's outfit. "Sounds like I'd be able to recognize them with little trouble if they're as distinctive as you say," he responded with amusement.
When Scholomance broke his silence with the declaration that Ptolemaeus was dangerous, it drew yet another laugh from the sailor scout. "I'm not sure what you mean by any of that," he admitted, "since I doubt I pose any threat to you and I'm not sure you'd be any less attractive to me now had we known each other a couple months back. But I'll take it as a compliment just the same."
He reached for the other man's hand to stroke his thumb across his fingers, studying them intently. "You're probably warding off flirts like me all the time. And I'll admit I enjoy playing games myself, but...I don't usually find myself so enthralled so quickly upon a first meeting." The senshi raised his dark eyes to lock on yellow-gold ones as he briefly clasped the knight's hand to the side of his face as if just to feel the sheer sensation of it. "I'd say you're the dangerous one, here."
Gently releasing both Scholomance's hand and gaze, he acknowledged the idea of communicating through letters under the bench with a nod. "Would it be less or more convenient if I left you a number in exchange sometime? I can get one of those prepaid phones that can't be traced back to a name if you just want to talk. Letters work, but I find them to be...insufficient, especially in the way of quick, bilateral communication."
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:57 pm
"Fairness is a little beside the point now. I wouldn't think about it much if I were you." Hammurabi's code - the earliest fairness - dictated his current position. If such matters occurred again, he faced life without limbs. Period. No, he decided, he would much rather die than face such a decline in his capabilities, in his quality of life. They would have to kill him.
"If I were warding off flirts," Scholomance interlocked his fingers with Ptolemaeus' temporarily, "that would imply disinterest. I'm much more apt to invite them over instead. I have three tongue rings, after all," he finished behind the mask. And a handful of hardware in an unmentionable location. But perhaps that's information for another time. "It's a pity most people I know aren't into amputees. Maybe saying so is a little much, but… I haven't seen any action since this happened last Halloween." Mostly of his own personal imposition, but the fact remained that none swayed him from it.
"Well." Scholomance stood slowly; his leg protested the motion and urged him to reconsider. He stretched enough to pop his sacrum. "Number exchange it is. I can't believe I forgot about burner phones myself.
"Thank you, by the way. For cheering me up. I thought I was going to glower at that shitty newspaper for the rest of the night and freeze to death for the morning after. It might've been a better use of my time, but we'll see." He breathed a sigh through the mask. Counterattacking Cinnabar and Schörl sounded like such a distant plea. He wondered if much could truly come of it. Perhaps if he sold his story to other knights, other senshi, he could manage a small guerrilla force to deal with the pair.
And then the Negaverse would retaliate.
But those considerations needed to wait for another day; for now, Scholomance faced a prospective ally in this Dark Mirror. That meant enough for now. "I'll be in touch, Blue. You might want to take off, though; one of my Negaverse contacts will be coming soon and I can't have them suspecting anything just yet."
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 5:38 am
Blinking at the gesture of interweaving their digits, Ptolemaeus sneered at the mention of tongue rings, quite aware of the what it implied regarding other unseen modifications. "Those so quick to dismiss someone based on a lack of limbs don't deserve what they can't see beyond, then," he stated, "and I'm grateful for less competition. Some might merely see an amputee, but I see a powerfully steadfast soul having been capable of surviving disfiguring torture most couldn't even fathom undergoing, much less have the strength and will to continue coping with the life it resulted in. And that's even disregarding your abilities and powers as a knight."
He moved to softly press his forehead against the agent of Order's. "Pretty faces are plentiful enough, depending on one's tastes, but such a plain reason to admire and respect a virtual stranger is rare. But I'm hardly a romantic," he chuckled, backing up as Scholomance made to stand. "so I hope you won't be too put-off by my premature confession or wordy explanation. I'm usually more a man of action, I assure you. And if it's action you're looking for, heh...I think I can provide some of that."
The senshi got up as well and stretched, noting the knight's gratitude as he did so. He grinned broader than ever. "The pleasure was mine, Mr. Morally Ambiguous Amputee," he teased. "If you're going to entertain that the alternative might have been a better use of your time, though, evidently I haven't cheered you up near enough." Despite the superficial mirth of his smile, it was paradoxically paired with a hint of sadness. The knight could not have known, but such casual talk of death particularly pained him for past reasons. "I guess I'll just have to try harder next time."
Shaking off the stiffness that had begun to settle in with the cold, Ptolemaeus internally embraced the literal and metaphorical heat that lingered from their contact. Though he felt his outward demeanor had remained reasonably calm and easygoing throughout their interaction, the true rate of his heartbeat just then alarmed him. He silently hoped it was just a first-meeting thing and that it would stabilize with time.
"And I'll be looking forward to it," he replied to the statement about being in touch, casting the knight a friendly, two-fingered salute as he prepared to depart. "Until then, take care of yourself, sweetheart. You have more worth than just what the Negaverse attributes to you."
It might have been an obvious or stupid thing to say, he thought as he leapt down from the rooftop, but he felt the knight needed to hear it even so.
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