acquest | (no subject)

[Hesitates when it's time to split to their separate rooms.]

Shark... I have a terrible fucking idea. Want to hear it while I'm sstill really, really drunk?

If it's something that you need to be goddamn smashed for, sounds like I should be fucking regretting the fact I'm not. Let me hear it.

I'dratherdealwithsomeonewhowantsaCelestevictoryoverthebullshitofamindfuckerwhohasitoutformeandyoucanhelpoutcan'tyou?

[ that was too fast and too soft, but he can pick out the key words and process, even if it's not immediate ]

. . . with my fucking track record with you I don't want to assume a goddamn thing. What kind of help is it you want?

About half the gang and a flamethrower, but from you?

I want a fucking stupid deal. I want you to stop any March mindfucking party, 'n you told me how you could do that, right?

[ deals with March are dangerous and he knows this from experience. but March is asking for help, not calling the shots this time.

and. . .

well. the easiest, simple way to do it, there's very little way for it to backfire on him. he even already made March this offer. ]

You turned this down barely a day ago. But I heard his fucking threat, and agree with your fucking priorities. You're going to take my mark, so I can shut him out of your head if he tries shit?

[Be brave, March. Smile, smile, smile, let the drunken fuzziness help you not think about what the hell you're doing.]

S'long as you make a deal. No bullshit, no ooh I just want to borrow you for a test drive, no making me do anything or touching my unal...ter...ate... memories that haven't been fucked with, you only use it if you really think I'm in hacker territory.

I said it already: with all the fucking enemies we've made we don't need fucking in-fighting, and there's nothing any of that shit could get me that'd be worth the hell you'd give me for it. That's the only fucking reason I'd use it willingly.

Edited 2013-03-24 11:29 (UTC)

I don't trust you that much.

I don't expect you to. But by the same fucking token, how well did the last deal I had with you work out? I hate those fucking chains, even without it being you holding one end! If we do it that way, three goddamn clauses.

What claushe-- Clauses?

[Over-pronouncing the words to keep from lisping through his sharp, unfamiliar teeth.]

[ this is the deal breaker, the reason the mark exists in the first place. might as well start off with it, no point in going through with the fucking rest otherwise ]

First off: involuntary doesn't count. If anything fucks over my mark, we end up cohabiting until this body is marked again. That I can't fucking help, but I can "ride" backseat, fucking passive until shit gets corrected. I don't want that counting against me.

[He shudders at the thought of co-habitation, a rider, but if it's passive... It's no worse than what he's offering.]

I can handle that, next?

The terms you suggested have me coming in after the damage is done. If I suspect you've been mindfucked and worked over already. I want your express permission to work too, so if he's midway or you have any goddamn warning shit can get preempted.

And third I want a fucking release clause. You fuck up the mark, I can't do shit to you anyway, so it's no skin off your back to have shit rendered null by that.

...

[This is for Alice.

All they need is for Celeste to win, and keep winning, and keep winning until he gets his wish.

He can't trust Shark, but he can't trust anyone, and Shark has to make it work for his own wish.

This is what he needs to happen. It's just a firewall. A really terrifying firewall.]

D---Deal.

[ Shark sees the hesitation, but stays silent, watching. the first and third terms were for his own self-preservation, for his body and sense of self, but the second was for winning, from not wanting Fawn to get an in just because he fucked up and didn't notice. It's another line of defense, and one in March's hands.

he's on the verge of opening his mouth to ask what needs to be altered . . .

when March agrees.

He doesn't hesitate but ]

Deal.

[ activates the contract magic, writing it into place, the third waiting in the wings for the seal to actually exist on March's flesh before becoming active ]

Put it on my back? I don't want to explain that time I got drunk and decided to give you a backdoor to my head every time it'ssh noticed, there's only so many mindfuck/giving head jokes people can make, it'll get real boring, right?

Got it. Out of fucking sight it is.

[LET'S GO TO MARCH'S ROOM he refuses to strip in a corridor. There are lines.

That he repeatedly crosses all the time to win.]

[ A CORRIDOR ONLY THE TWO OF US CAN ACCESS but yes okay to his room.

taking out his own knife ]

[hey lynx kicked her way in once

Stripping away the top half of his uniform, with minimal drunken fumbling, and not looking at that knife.]

[ letting him finish doing that, and motioning ]

Sit down, or lie down, I don't care. I don't want to do this standing up, or you getting dizzy and wavering. The mark needs to be clean and distinct.

[He's already earning plenty of scars from all the fights, what's one more?

Flops onto his bed, simply so he can bury his face into the pillow and hide all expression.]

[ he doesn't revel in it, the last thing he needs to do is set March fucking off again, and. . . there's really nothing to goddamn revel about. It has nothing to do with him, it's that some bastard has been making threats and Shark is the lesser of two evils. It's not a sign of victory, or a sign of trust. It just means March has accepted it's "us versus them", not him against fucking everyone, but he already knew that.

he sets to work, carving in the small symbol ]

[He holds still for the cuts, muscles bunched tense and fingers digging into the sheets, but there's little fuss- The pain isn't bad, and alcohol is in the spokes of his paranoid mental hamster wheel.

BITES THE PILLOW IYAAA.]

[ YOU MADE THIS SEXUAL, NOT ME.

he finishes and draws the knife back, looking at the blood welling up. He did it cleanly, the mark is distinct. it will work. ]

Done.

Yippee.

[ wipes his knife off on his uniform cloak ]

Your mind-rape seal is ready and functioning. With any fucking luck, there won't be cause to use it, and that asshole was just blowing steam.

[Pulling on his own, doing his best not to disturb the fresh wound.]

Their little girl, Knives? She threatened to come shank me, so I doubt it. She wants to kill me for some reason.

[A slight shrug, and a pained hiss through his teeth- Right, injury, don't shrug and make it sting.]

What sort of idiot announces they're planning to surprise attack you? Twice? Probably the same sort that thinks they can just threaten me and I'll roll over and play dead because of a little mindfucking.

The same sort of idiot that walks up to me, asks me what my problem is, says let's not kill each other to me while threatening you. My hypothesis is the entire fucking team is brain damaged.

...Or mind controlled.

I appreciate the fucking paranoia, but why would you mind control a kid to do a dumbass thing like that?

Why would you threaten me with that bullshit when he could have just done it then? All he had to do was get me to shank a portrait. Why tell a lie that only takes two of us talking to work out? What's their strategy?

I repeat: brain damage! Clearly not paying attention, if they think they're the kind of fucks that can be threatened into backing down. We've got enough fucking enemies at this point that any one other team by themselves is small fry. I'm not going to bash my head against a wall so I can figure out what they're thinking, and further more that shit doesn't work on me!

Stupid crazy is the worst kind of crazy.

If they want to solo us, they've got a surprise coming- We should let Shell know. Just because we can't tell everyone and be believed doesn't mean we can't get it out, right?

They can spread that for us, and they're a lot more liked and believed. Mint's been keeping the bargain, so my returning the favor is owed to them fucking anyway. They should know about this shit.

That's on you, I'm not exactly mr. popularity.

Funny, wasn't me not having anyone one of your favorite taunts? Go inform to one of those bizarre bad taste Canaries, just for old-time's sake. You don't have much to fucking lose, even if they don't listen to you.