TLV - Inbox

[coffinturk]

"Leave a message."

Comments

[slingingbullets]

For me, that bond is the best part. {For the time being. He can't imagine feeling something stronger than the love he has for his brothers.}

Where's the fun in that?

[coffinturk]

Hmph.

[ Amusement. ]

A little boasting and self-confidence isn't a bad thing. But better in moderation.

[ All sorts of problems get started when you start comtrying to be best at everything. ]

Got any other questions? For the spider challenge.

[nimbuster]

"After everything...don't think I believe there's really any such thing as a 'good person' or a 'bad person' anymore. In the moment, people can choose to hurt each other or not. They can choose kindness or not. Only one person I know who I'm pretty sure never once chose kindness in his life, and it ain't Sephiroth. It's Hojo." The name is dripping with contempt.

Cloud nods his appreciation when Vincent agrees to talk to Sephiroth again. "Thanks." There's a familiar sort of pause, the kind that usually precedes Cloud ending a conversation because he has nothing else he wants to say. But then he decides to try something different this time, even if it is with his usual averted gaze.

"...it...means a lot, Vincent. That you're willing to do this. Even if you're no less worried afterward, at least...you trust me enough to give it a shot."

FROM AGES PAST (also is this supposed to be audio or video? I can adapt)

[coffinturk]

Nothing that dramatic.

[ The words are almost terse, suggesting a bit of impatience for suggesting something like an Admiral-bestowed diminished mental capacity. A bit extreme given the many other options that could be pursued first. ]

You can remove the tools in his care. Or consider how he managed to get the help needed to construct it.f

[ Vincent doesn't seem to be the sort to accept an apology and move on. At least... not on something this important. Hanna made choices just as Vincent Smith and Sokie and the Cat King did.

...There will however be a long pause of silence before this Vincent answers the demand to know how the gunman would have handled things if he were in Hanna's shoes. ]

I would bring in a third party to arbitrate. Had to do something like it once already. But... it's useless to compare us. Not to say that makes me better.

[ He... won't speak of the past. Or why he understands so well that the person being the most emotionally invested in a victim and a perpetrator isn't going to be the best choice to handle judgement about the tragic results of their actions. ]

There's nowhere I'm putting words, Hanna. You said it. There was no physical harm 'technically'. There was only 'inconvenience'. And you're not the only one who does this, here. That's why it's a problem. And why these things keep happening.

[ The answer is cool and calm. ]

If it bothers you to hear that, then do as you want. [ End the conversation. ] I can't stop you. You've apologized and come back with the answer to the question I had.

[slingingbullets]

{He snorts at the warning. Considering the egos of Sephiroth and Jenova, moderation might be a dream of a dream.}

Will you fire at me if I go too far?

{It's difficult to be content.}

Can I name them?

[coffinturk]

[ For a moment, Vincent sobers. The talk of shooting someone... well there are jokes he does make from time to time. But this isn't one of them. Certainly not with their history. ]

If I shoot seriously at someone I want to live... then I've exhausted all other options.

[ The answer is quietly spoken. Almost... a little surprised at himself. ]

If you want. Though I plan to give them back to the maker.

[ Another pause. ]

Label the jar if you want to pass that on.

[slingingbullets]

{Dark! Yazoo watches Vincent intently, expressionlessly, for a few minutes before he smiles faintly.}

One bullet wouldn't be enough, don't be dramatic.

{But it would probably hurt a lot in his current condition. Then there's the bleeding, which could kill him.}

That's okay. They need names.

{It's decided.}

Alright~

[coffinturk]

I never said anything about one bullet.

[ He didn't. Shoot is a verb. And Yazoo may have meant that in the spirit of a morbid 'warning shot' but... Vincent is taking this a bit more seriously than he should.

Isn't he?

And yet he does move on. ]

I'll give you paper and pencil so you can note the names as you go.

[ And so he will. ]

Good luck.

[coffinturk]

[ Totally gone now. Well, more like he's in serious mode rather than hiding it. ]

I'll try to get ahold of one of their talismans if it'll be useful for a reference.

[ And as is clearly seen later, he does. ]

Thanks, Sokie.

[weirdnecro]

[She'll get a smile from him another day. She's going to get it!]

That'll be a lot of help. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can do something to make it even more effective.

[Her voice is warm.]

You're welcome. Anytime Vincent.

[slingingbullets]

Wow you must really hate me to fire more than one warning shot!

{...like he is one to talk. Cloud had gotten dozens of "warning shots" and Yazoo definitely doesn't hate him.}

Okay. I'll make sure they fit. {You don't name something willy-nilly!}

Thanks~ We'll be back soon.

[coffinturk]

"I'll let you know how it goes."

Maybe Sephiroth will talk about it, but that isn't the same as reporting back with his personal thoughts. Though Cloud's gaze is averted, Vincent's is upon the blond, studying him before finally responding to the gratitude.

"Mm." Acknowledgement. "If you love him, I'm not saying that's wrong. Complicates things, but... hm."

He leaves that particular statement there, simply because... well, it and the rest of what he could say is obvious to everyone.

"I want you to find happiness. Just... understand I'm not looking for a way to say 'I told you so'. If... I step in."

It's all that tricky friendship thing. And... not wanting to regret letting things be because of 'if they're happy...' again.

Fin~

[coffinturk]

[ Sigh. Vincent doesn't try to explain it again, instead letting Yazoo take the supplies and head off to his challenge.

Chase is certainly going to be getting an interesting package at the end of this. And perhaps Vincent himself a challenge when the two Remnants end up effecting a tie. ]

[nimbuster]

Cloud nods. "I'll keep that in mind."

There's a pause, as he considers how to bring up the second thing. Braces himself for this feeling of easy friendship to vanish as soon as it came. But he's not backing out now.

"So, the other thing I wanted to tell you...a while back, way before I ever got here, some weird flood happened and Sephiroth...had the Admiral give him the black materia. He never used it. He didn't even hold onto it - he had John put it in some kind of uh, dimensional pocket or something. But then, on my birthday...he gave it to me."

Audio

[cameclosest]

Mr. Valentine, I am reaching out to you in the interest of applying for the medical inventory position that is currently open. If you could please get back to me about necessary requirements, expectations and if you would like a copy of my resume, I can print a copy for you.

[He's got that fancy cardstock in his office even, and fancy business cards.]

Re: Audio

[coffinturk]

[ The answer is short and simple. ]

You can stop by the infirmary and pick up an application.

[ He's made one. It's probably not your conventional one.

There's no place to put one's status; that will be obvious since his is one of the few jobs where there's only one supervisor. But besides things like 'name' and 'age', and 'applicable skills' there are fields such as 'do you have any aversions or instincts that would make it difficult to work in a medical environment (ex: vampires and blood thirst)' and 'have you ever engaged in scientific or magical research considered unethical or taboo to your reality'.

You know. Just as examples.

Vincent may even be there working on paperwork, just willing to hand over the application without a trace of irony, depending on what time Varker stops by to pick it up. ]

Spam

[cameclosest]

Varker does show up, a printed copy of his own resume in hand, and knocks gently on the door when he arrives to signal he's coming in. He hasnt dressed any differently for this than he would anywhere else, but his wardrobe is generally dressier than most on board from a more modern period.

"Mr. Valentine, I assume?" He asks, walking forward and offering a scaled hand to him in greeting, "Dr. Clement Varker, I called earlier about the position."

[coffinturk]

Vincent looks up from his work. There's the studied regard someone might expect from someone meeting another for the first time. The former Turk is certainly someone dressed pretty dramatically for a medical office worker. Is that a gun? Armored boots?

Don't worry about that. He extends his hand for handshaking and that can be interesting itself; Vincent's left is normally gloved and his right is covered in a metal, clawed gauntlet.

"Yes. Here."

Greetings are as perfunctory as he sounded over the call. Once the initial handshake is done he'll just pick up a certain piece of paper from the desk and offer it out; the application.

"Fill this out."

....And then he'll go right back to work. There's a cup of pens on the desk at least.

[cameclosest]

Varker is trying to keep his face straight as to not give away his distaste for Vincent's...fashion sense. Those boots are gaudy as hell and there is an intense urge to go gossip about it to someone just as petty as he is.

He'll take the form, studying it a moment but blinks as the other man goes right back to work. With his back turned Varker's disapproval for his lack of social skills shows clearly on his face, but he will find himself a seat, pulling a monogrammed pen from his breast pocket and uncapping it to start filling it out.

Some of the questions he has to stare at a moment, looking visibly frustrated but thankfully as much as he turned a blind eye to what Simon had been doing, he can say with certainty he has never done unethical experiments himself. He'd put his foot down on that the moment Birkov had asked for his help.

Double checking his work, he makes sure there is no smudging and stands, offering both his resume and the form to Vincent with a clearing of his throat,

"I'm open to answering clarifying questions if you have any."

[coffinturk]

Vincent will continue to sit there in blatant defiance of Varker's tastes in fashion. There are probably many who would join in on the petty gossip. Have fun using your potential boss for entertainment!

Interesting that Varker stayed around. But it had been an option and once the form's filled out, Vincent will take it back and gesture for the copy of the resume. If the man had brought anything else and offered it? Yup that will be accepted too.

Now, sit there for about fifteen to twenty minutes while the former Turk thoroughly compares all of the information. There's no skimming here. Vincent's comparing the two carefully. There's a soft huff that escapes him. Even if Varker can't see the wry smile curling the corner of the man's lips momentarily, he'll get to hear the wry tone.

"An ethical pharmaceutical research company."

The papers are set down before him. Vincent looks steadily at Varker again.

"You've never looked the other way?" Despite the earlier clear bemusement, the question is very serious, empty of any doubt, of anything that hints of condescension.

[cameclosest]

He will sit, it isn't like he's got anything better to do, and while he does appreciate taking Lullabee to work in the veterinary clinic every day, it isn't what he knows. Reading the books B has been offering him is proving interesting, but he can admit that it is a little boring in there.

Still, when Mr. Valentine looks up, questions him, his lip lifts up instinctually, feeling a little insulted. "Varika is solid, legal and above board, thank you." He hisses at him, not feeling the need to hold back his offense.

"I take the law and ethics very seriously, and haven't allowed any unethical experimentation on company grounds. There was one instance of illegal activity, an employee embezzling funds to support an offsite lab, but he was fired."

With a sniff, he adds, "he murdered me a few days later."

[coffinturk]

Vincent nods, unaffected by the angry response. That was only to be expected, right? And he isn't going to explain himself.

"I've researched Earth culture. A little about the 'American' legal system and corporations. And the checks and balances of many countries."

It's interesting. It's not as if Vincent doesn't remember the time before the Shinra Company developed mako and managed to become a national power, then the dominant world power. But the sheer amount of nations keeping each other in check on Earth was staggering. He shakes his head.

"Tell me about the situation with the offsite lab. How did the employee get to you after he was fired?"

He isn't entirely expecting corporations of America to have the robust security for their CEOs that he's used to. But he does wonder.

And a part of the former Turk also wonders about something else; yet it's not going to be asked aloud. It's possible the answer will come with Varker's explanation.

[cameclosest]

Hearing 'Earth culture' as if it had a unified, singular culture was strange, but he doesn't correct him. He'd met a few people now who weren't from Earth and he isn't about to get snippy about verbage when someone is essentially learning an entire planet's history and customs from scratch. He's still taking the time to learn it, and that's nothing to make fun of.

"It came to light that he'd been stealing equipment and funds from Varika for years. Given he was one of our original founders along with our current Vice-president, it was...hard to accuse him of anything, but necessary." He's choosing his words carefully while not skipping a beat. He's had to cover for Birkov for the last six years to Dr. Drohane and this feels no different, though it makes his stomach twist a little, "He kidnapped myself and Dr. Drohane at home, though I don't remember how...and what followed was a taste of what he'd been working on. I do not care to recount what happened in that basement, but he didn't kill us immediately. I arrived here less than 48 hours after that incident."

[coffinturk]

Will Varker feel the same when he learns that most of the reason is because Vincent wants to read hard boiled action-thriller Alex Casey novels? But... well, some of it has become wanting to understand concepts of a large percentage of Earth natives that appear on the barge. It becomes helpful.

Vincent listens to everything without comment or question. Nor is there shock at what happened. His ruby gaze remains steady.

"Hm. No need." To recount. Vincent can take a few guesses. "Is this how you gained your passenger?" To be honest, there was still a chance that some quirk of Varker's Earth made such things a normal if unwanted occurrence.

But 'getting a taste of' what Birkov had been working on made it a better cause to gamble on.

[cameclosest]

Varker might loose some respect for his reason, but still learning for any reason is better than not learning at all.

His own red eyes stare back at Valentine, changed as they were from their original steel blue. "The second mouth is new, yes." He returns flatly, though it is still a fair question, trying to ignore it as the thing perks up at being mentioned, though he has to wonder if it can even understand a word they're saying. It opens it's maw wide, tongue snaking out to smell it's surroundings and Vincent, "But it's best you ignore it. It's...got a bit of a temper, and I have to admit sometimes it affects my own moods. I've had a shorter fuse, since. But given this seems to be a desk job, I don't see that being much of a problem."