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Gracious Conversationalist
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 Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:04 am
Private RP between Banning and Rugovin (Graficcha) & Unus and Ethernet (Mizu_Taji)
Location: The DeLonghy manor
Time: Early afternoon
Weather: Calm autumn day
Unus has been having a bit of trouble adapting to the side-effects of now having a rather vocal task planner, and on his part, Ethernet isn't quite managing to figure out how to handle the poor sieve-brained genius without utterly getting on his nerves. To try and fix this unfortunate situation, Unus has decided to be among the first to actually make use of his customer rights, and request a heart-to-heart with the big boss himself.
Said big boss has just barely started to deal with the return of his beloved brother, and there is much catching up to be done between them, but honestly now, leaving a customer hanging, that's not good manners, now is it? All personal issues aside, Banning has graciously invited sir Harris to come see him on his home turf, for as far as Essentics are concerned, safe terrain.
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:45 pm
Unus shifted the bag that was on his shoulder as he made his way towards the manor. The bag occasionally wiggled here and there, but the latch was a tight one. No, against all protests of the proto, Unus was bound and determined to have a word with Banning.
Banning, he remembered the name. He made sure that after the last incident with Ethernet that he'd have the man's name down. He had been constantly saying it to himself so often that Ethernet had been sure the tall lanky man had finally snapped and had turned into a robot or something along those lines.
Banning and Unus had a pleasant little talk on the phone, though brief. Unus was sure to make clear that he did not blame Banning in anyway for his proto's current behavior, but that he really had no one else to turn to in hopes of making it stop. After all, out of all the things he needed to be reminded of, the faults he could not control were not among them, and Ethernet refused to listen to him when it came to stopping.
So perhaps it'd listen to the true reason of its existence in the first place...right?
"I do not see why this meeting is needed. I am doing my job..." came a muffled grumbling voice from inside the bag. Unus rolled his eyes but said nothing, just moving along.
He passed through the open gates without much difficulty. The size of Banning's home really didn't phase Unus. He was used to living in places this large, though usually he had been confined to one small part of it. Having just one person living here didn't really make a difference, did it?
No, it had to be more people. Where would the staff stay? Unus was pretty sure Banning was much to much of a busy man to try and keep this place in order after all.
Now at the front door, Unus gave thought to what to do now. Not wishing to just walk in like some rude person, he looked about. Ah yes, a button. Buttons usually mean doorbell, so he pressed it, and sure enough heard the ringing on the inside. There he waited for someone, probably a doorman or a butler or something along those lines to open the door and hopefully tell him where the heck to go from here.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:19 am
The last two days had been rather harrowing for both of the DeLonghy brotehrs. Rugovin's return to the manor had been anything but expected, and it had taken Banning quite a bit of hard-wired improvisation to inform his core staff of this development.
Rugovin had been awkwardly surprised to find his little brother so coldly competent. Oh dear, the little snifflebag grew up... He was almost intimidated. And proud. And ashamed. Oh, whatever, he had no idea how exactly he felt about this at all, to the point of being unable to make up his mind over whether to pace around all night or try and go to sleep to rest his heavy head. By ways of a compromise he'd ended up slumped in an arm chair, grumpily staring out over the central courtyard all night, thinking deeply and ending up with a gem of a headache the next morning. His brother's abashed invitation to join him for breakfast was met with little more than a reluctant grunt. Alright, alright... Don't give me that look, you're in control of every single person here, why lose that confidence around me.
On his part, once the anxious business about his hive of employees had been aptly covered, Bane as well found himself quite unable to settle down. Only around sunset did he completely wind down on his debriefing, dismissing his staff to have a well-deserved week off the job, a collective holiday, however unnannounced. get out, yes, I can prepare my own food, no need to have you all wandering around here when I barely know how to behave myself around this... familiar stranger.
Vin had undeniably changed, a lot. It would take time until Banning would start to grasp the key to his brother's morosity, let alone understand what had happened during their separation. That uncanny dark power, that seemed to be a part of him now, that seemed to be partialy responsible for having turned his solid-healthy youthful protector into a wizened and worn rock-hard veteran, where had it come from? Trying to answer that on his own was enough to make the Duke shudder. It was uncomfortable enough to seek him out, disrupt his tranquility to bother him with something as trivial as morning routine.
Their first morning together they had shared in heavy silence, glances exchanged, many things left unsaid. The mansion was quieter with them together than it had been in the many years with Banning managing it on his own.
Unus' dire call had been a welcome relief, as it allowed Banning to focus on the business he still ran, and Rugovin to excuse himself to wander the grounds of his old home to get some fresh air. Bane had invited the man over to the manor, glad to do whatever it took to be able to do his job properly despite the current chaos. His work had always been the only thing keeping him on the good side of the borders of sanity. The deal was made and the phone cut off before he even realised again that there was this other 'guest' he had to deal with right now.
At least Rugovin hadn't objected half as much as Banning had expected when he awkwardly sought him out to tell him the news. An owner having trouble with his Essentic? Bring it on, could be fun.
As much as it was Banning's technical duty to assist his clients, Vin would forever be the one to have a more hands-on experience with what drove Essentics. Hard not to if your life was torn apart for the sole reason of BEING one... Banning didn't have the heart to keep him out of it, just trusting his brother to, um, 'behave'. When Vin gave him a bit of a hair-ruffle over his finicky doubts, at least the tension between them decreased somewhat. Don't worry eh little bro, I won't mess up your game...
__~
And so, the next day, Banning and Rugovin were the only ones active in the manor, as all employees had either gone to see family or were taking the time at their own leisure in the staff quarters.
The bell's sound had barely faded when the grand doors opened, not widely but enough to leave a gap wide enough for a man to comfortably slip through.
"Mister Harris." Banning had stepped out, looking not half as hawkish as he had during their first encounter. If anything, something about him appeared rather... fuzzy. He wasn't wearing a tie, how pecliar, and he hadn't bothered to knot his hair together either, leaving it to hang behind his shoulders silkily.
"My apologies for the lack of formalities... Please come in." he invited Unus in, just that little bit hastily, and lead him indoors, into the spacious entrance hall.
"You are allowed to let your Essentic out here, nothing to fear." Yesyes, it's all safe here. Without much delay, he then strode onward, taking the left corridor.
"Follow me, I've arranged a meeting room to talk about this predicament of yours."
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:49 pm
What, no butler? Weird. Maybe it was a holiday and Unus forgot. Oh, dear, was he bothering the head of a company on a holiday?! Good god, Banning must truly think of him as a dimwitted nuisance. Perhaps all those things Ether was saying about him were true, being useless and the like.
...No...no that was not true, and he was here to prove it, or at least make the jackal shut it's face so he would no longer have to endure the verbal abuse he was getting.
"I am once again sorry about the intrusion..." he said as he followed Banning inside and towards where ever he was leading him. The bag wriggled for a bit as Banning referred to its contents, to which Unus gave a light tap as to dissuade the behavior.
"I would let Ether out if I were not afraid of it running off and hiding somewhere. They are not looking forward to this meeting..." The bag wriggled more.
"That is because this meeting is nothing more than a waste of Master Banning's time. I am doing my job with most efficiency if I do say so myself," came a muffled rebuttal.
Unus rolled his eyes. "I'll let Ethernet out once we get into the meeting room, if that is all right with you..."
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 11:50 pm
"Intrusion?" What ARE you talking about my dear man. The Duke genuinely didn't appear to know what he meant by that for a second.
"Oh." Goodness. "Well, what sort of businessman would I be if I couldn't spend a day on a cherished customer's problem..." It sounded like he was about to add a small shrug. Wasn't it entirely normal to support your clientele? It had been part of the mutually binding contract Unus has so diligently signed, after all.
As he lead his guest onward through the spacious, clean hallway, Bane couldn't help but keep glancing around at the squabbling. My, my, that sure sounded somewhat dysfunctional.
...then again, who was he to talk. Technically his own Essentic had put him through literal torture mere days ago.
"If it runs off I'm sure it will face the consequences soon." he merely retorted to the problem at hand, sounding rather dry. It was up to Ethernet to interpret that. Somehow that could mean he'd be captured quickly, but just as well it could have been a thinly veiled routine warning that any dissenters will be shot on sight, or something in that direction. Muah-hah.
But fine, let's not cause trouble up front, won't we.
"That is alright... we will be there soon in any case." In fact, here we are.
"Please come in." Opening the door into the room, Banning invited him in graciously. Make yourself at home, no need to be awkward. An antique desk stood by the windows, light falling in at this hour and offering a nice view of the central courtyard, old well-maintained arm chairs were settled in cosy places, all in all an old-fashioned but hardly threatening room.
The only point of contrast to that was the tall and grey-wizened figure waiting by a softly crackling fireplace, appearing much too hard and stern for the languid atmosphere inside. With those loose dark jeans, the clean white T-shirt and a leather sleeveless short jacket, he looked like he came straight from the lower docks. His sheer size and visibly toned musculature didn't clash with that idea either, this guy could pop your head off with only one of those strong hands. The few faint and less-faint scars on him didn't seem very out of place. When Banning entered with today's attendants, he turned his head to face them, grey feathers slowly lifting up from his head, like a cockatoo raising its crest. Blink. Oh hi there.
For a while he just stood there waiting, turning to them fully and leaning back against the fireplace's side wall, with all the body language of a petulant growing teenager, arms crossed and tilted back, looking rather camp in all. He appeared to be expecting something, pale yellow eyes quietly but attentively taxing Unus, and repeatedly wandering back to Banning. Needless to say that this made the big boss somewhat nervous. Yes, YES, I know you're waiting for me to introduce you, give me just a second here, sheesh. Stop looking like you're promising me to 'have a word with me' if I ignore you for a second too long. Goodness.
Banning could only acknowledge him and with a somewhat flustered scowl shrug off his own awkwardness, focusing on Unus first and inviting him to have a seat, before at last motioning towards Rugovin.
"Mister Harris, this... this is Rugovin. He will be so kind to join us today in solving your predicament." He didn't quite manage to squish out more just yet. Keep it neutral. Not entirely ready for a more detailed intro, he just didn't manage to refer to him as either his brother or his Essentic, as the first would sound terribly strange given Vin's obvious Essentic nature, and the latter felt just all kinds of wrong. Banning was in not prepared to try and explain the story behind that just yet, so skirting the issue seemed the most productive way to go.
"Rugo, mind greeting our guest?" Way to dodge the problem indeed, just let him do his introduction himself. By ways of an excuse, Bane himself strode back to the door, and safely locked it, tucking the old key into his pocket. Voila, Ethernet won't be skedaddling anywhere, unless he felt the desire to hurl himself through the windows.
On his part, the parrot Essentic at least didn't feel as offended as he could have by his younger brother's reluctance to blurt their private details. In response to Bane's request he tilted back to proper balance, and calmly trudged over, to halt a few steps in front of Unus.
"Hey."
Mnph, so not in the mood for proper properness. Sure, he'd been raised just like Banning, he knew all the formalities, but sometimes you just feel like ditching all of that pishposh for a while.
"The name's Vin. Nice to meet you." Without much fuss he held out his hand. Be a nice nerd and say hello to me?
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 6:37 pm
Unus at first did not see the other man, sore thumb or not. He was busy unfastening the latch of his back to let the twitching and flailing jackal out. Ethernet sprung out as soon as the flap was lifted and with some awkward gliding with the leg wings landed gracefully on the desk. It was all about the entrance you know.
Unus really stopped paying attention to Ether at that point, and moved his attention to the large fellow. Rugovin. Rugo. Vin. Good lord, it wasn't one name, it was three. How on earth could he keep a grasp of that. Still, he took his had plesantly for a introductory shake.
"Good day. I'm Unus. Nice to meet you as well," he said, the bulking fellow really not giving him much worry. Unus never had that problem, being frightened or wary of people that he should be when he looked at them. If you looked at Unus himself, he just looked like some twiggy nerd, it said nothing of what he truly was capable of doing. And no one would suspect that his sister could just as easily rip your head off as she could hack your life away. The world was full of 'book cover' instances, and Unus preferred to read the pages himself before making any sort of claims.
Ethernet's eye dots were flashing again. "Data stored," it claimed with a ring of its tail bells. "Rugovin, alias Rugo and Vin. Vin being more acceptable to the person as it is what he introduced himself as." Ethernet then propped itself up in a proper sort of manner.
"It's best not to bog Master Unus with such things. He's worthless when it comes to remembering things. That's what I am here for after all," it explained to Vin.
See, right there? That's what I'm in here for...
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 9:15 am
Rugovin was rather surprised to find Banning keepng his distance from the matter. Was this the signal that he was good to go improv on this? He usually did, and it tended to work out alright...sort of. Usually. Half the time.
Hm, for all the wimp-factor the fella he was facing here exuded, he was quite agreeable to deal with. How unexpected... Maybe simply not trying to look threatening on purpose actually worked? How twee.
"Unus." Nod, good. Solid-simple name, or was that some sorta nick? Hm, before he could ponder that, Ethernet had already piped up.
Goodness, what a chattermouth, didn't the kiddo know to keep his trap shut when the adults are talking? How amusing, hah. It made the parrot grin, the way the slender thing flustered itself in self-righteousness so easily. Efficient, it seemed, vocal, decent... interface? Pleasing sound, if anything, that bell. And then that delicious sass, oh bloody hell, hilarious. The parrot truly couldn't help giving a merry short guffaw. Hah, oh you.
"Can't the fellow decide for himself what he wants to be bothered with?" snicker.
"You're quick to assume he's utterly helpless without you, right?" he spoke to the Proto, in a quite friendly tone, and he came over to the desk, leaned down on it on his elbows, clearly seeking to have a cosy chat with Ether about the issue. Unus and Bane were quickly forgotten.
Banning himself was quite surprised how easily his brother picked up on the situation, how casual he managed to be. He'd never been able to mimic his brother's relaxed ways, always somehow making the littlest issue into a rather grave topic. Leaving Vin to it, he approached Unus again, and subtly let him know that it would be best to leave the two Essentics to it.
...you know, the big guy is one. Yes. Ahum. Let the veteran teach the youngster.
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Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 7:35 pm
Unus looked and Banning and seemed to understand what he was saying...er, well, conveying with his facial and body language. Vin did seem to be the guy for this. He wondered if he should stay here and listen or leave the two in the room and wander elsewhere. If he were to wander, it'd be with Banning's approval and guidance. Approval because it was the guy's house, and guidance because Unus of all people would get lost in this big place.
Ethernet chuckled a bit. "Imagine this Mr. Vin. Master Unus' mind is like a sieve...with holes the size of golf balls." It chuckled again, amused with it's own analogy. "He couldn't remember his head if it wasn't attached. That's what I am here for, to make sure to remember the things that his broken brain can't seem to keep a grip on..." Ethernet stretched a bit and laid down on the desk, crossing it's front paws out of politeness.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:15 am
"How about we let them conversate for now... if you feel there is anything it says you wish to correct, now is the time to speak up." Banning said to Unus calmly. You're here to work on this problem, so if you aren't pleased with what you are hearing, then at least have the dignity to stand up for yourself, yes?
"It appears to me that your Essentic does not take you seriously as a master."
Rugovin could only let his grin widen as he listened to what Ether had to say. What a picture of smugness, that sleek little ********. Exactly what Bane might have turned out to be, if it hadn't been for his sense of perspective and humility. Time to teach Ether some of that latter business.
"... yup, I think I made my point." Snicker. "You do realise that he chose to get you and that he managed fine without you, hm? You're a luxury to him, little more. He could discard you at any given moment. It'd be trickier, but people like him have gotten my with agenda's and beepers for a long time. They're not that helpless."
Not that Vin really knew what exactly was up with the fellow, but come on, hm. It's only logic.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 6:05 pm
Unus shook his head solomnly before looking at Banning. "Anything I have to say has already been said with little effect. That's why I'm here, to see if he'd listen to someone not me..." he said with a pathetic sigh. Banning probably thought he was a moron, seeing as he was unable to control Ethernet better then he had been.
Ethernet laughed, a bit more heartily this time.
"Oh Mr. Vin, you are quite a card!" it chortled. "Now, that might have worked for anyone else. Any other Essentic might have given that some thought, but I have information that refutes this claim." If the jackel could grin, it would be, very much so.
"See, I am a...last resort option for Master Unus. He would forget the things that were ment to remind him, or if he remembered to bring them, he had forgotten to program in the things that he needed to be reminded of. He was getting close to being fired for his constant tardiness and forgetting when things were due..." It streched a bit with a jingling yawn.
"I'm saving him from himself Mr. Vin. He'd be a jobless waif without me. Plain and simple."
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:15 am
Ach, with times as they were these days, Bane could hardly look down upon poor Unus for not having his Essentic under control.
"That much is clear... Come, now." he said, then, and motioned towards the door. They'd finally leave the two non-humans to this, and perhaps not being faced with their quarreling would help the man to relax a little. With a calm hand, he nudged Unus to the door, lead him through it, and accompanied him into the quiet hall.
"Care for a drink?"
Inside the office, Rugovin glanced behind him for a moment to see his brother leave, but his attention was on Ethernet again quickly.
"You find this quite funny, don't you. Yes, hilarious it is to make fun of the one providing for you, hm. Without him you wouldn't exist, you'd have no purpose, no home, no safety, you do realise this, yes?" the parrot Essentic pressed, leaning over Ethernet slightly. His tone was whimsical, but his eyes were set sternly.
"If he chooses you're not worth the humiliation, Ether, he can discard you like a broken coffee mug. Unus trusts you, YOU, with his problem. If you fail to respect that, he has every right to terminate this bond you have." Be aware, little one, be very aware what position you are in.
"Do you know what happens to Essentics who end up ditched? Do you?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:35 am
Unus was moved along gently, and he went wherever Banning had felt to lead him. Knowing his luck he'd get lost in such a large place if left to his own devices.
He perked up at Banning's question. "Oh? Um...yes, a drink would be nice, thank you, " he sputtered half-mindedly.
---
Ethernet tilted it's head. Ah, now the big man was going to say something interesting.
"While I highly doubt Master Unus WOULD break the bond we share, it would be lovely to know. As how the owner and Essentic are connected in such a way, I highly doubt the breaking of the bond could be anything pleasant. Perhaps it would kill me, perhaps it would drive me mad. Perhaps a bit of both? I wouldn't know, but I am guessing you do, and I would love to have that information as a reference."
Ether sat up once again in a very professional manner, dusting itself off with it's front paws as a human would do. "I just know that the more I 'press Master Unus' buttons', as the term goes, the more he actually responds to my reminders. It get things done, and I fulfill the task I was handed by him." It's voice was no longer snide, but very to the point and even respectful when regarding it's master. The snark regarding Unus seemed to vanish completely when he was not in the room.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:25 am
Banning took the time to guide his guest towards the bar, one of the few scattered around the manor -one could never have enough secret liquor storages-, providing trivial information about the rooms and artworks they passed, just to keep a silence from creeping it. He didn't sound particularly interested in his own information-stream, so it would be no shame for Unus to register and forget immediately, if he registered anything at all. Nothing quite as boring as a small remark about an old dusty parrot that once lived there on that copper perch, hm.
----
Vin had noticed the shift in the Proto's behaviour and tone, and slowly he began to see that perhaps all of this was merely a perfect ruse taken too far for comfort. Right now, he couldn't just abandon the direction of the conversation, though. If Ether truly did not know what he was risking by incessantly plaguing Unus, it would only be a grim favour to let him find out.
"I see..." Rugovin acknowledged Ether's defense with a short nod. They'd get back on the merits of that approach later.
"Do you want to find out what happens?" he asked him then. "Feel for yourself, what it could be like if he ends up getting sick of you? What an Essentic alone is fated for? I have... testimony from err. Well." How to explain this now without the topic becoming bait for further questioning.
"From some of us who have been through it." He decided to leave it at that, and leaned back slightly, giving Ether the space to make up his mind. Curiosity killed the Proto... But Vin was offering his highly exclusive Data here. Would he catch on that 'finding out' wouldn't be pleasant? And if he did, would he dare to find out anyway?
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