As he carefully mediated the two women and worked to curtail any snide remarks or destructive commentary, Courser was unexpectedly hopeful at working the pair towards a resolution. Both were willing to make partial concessions away from their original demands, and they seemed to be getting at least close to a middle ground situation that they could both tolerate. He didn't much fancy having Mime locked up permanently for half a decade though. What to do...? He inclined his head in thanks to each of their answers and comments, then took the table again with a small rise of each of his hands.
"At this point, I wish to thank both of you for reaching out as you have been, and working towards a point that best suites everyone involved. More than a matter of differing ideologies, this matter is also one of preserving lives, and Shok and Mime are both fortunate to have the two of you together at this table now. Aside the troubles of their actions, we must always remember that these are the lives of two very real women that we are meditating upon, not simply facts or figures, or chips in a pile. Again, thank you both for remembering that as we move forward." He paused slightly, then nodded. "We can set aside the mater of a third party assessment relating to the crimes for now. It is enough for today that you have both agreed to permit one, and abide by its verdict, based on the facts that were previously gathered, the evidence that exists, and the testimonies offered. The conclusion that the selected neutral party arrives at can stand aside from the deal we must broker today, and it can be conducted within a time frame that suites." He then took a breath and pushed on.
"We must continue this discussion on the assumption that the crimes of these women are confirmed to be as claimed; such is the worst case scenario, and it is the situation that our efforts today seek to diffuse. If the finding is otherwise, then it will supersede, and the matter will be settled for Shok and Mime regardless, though further negotiations based on that eventuality may then be required.
"Moving forward based on that agreement, we have so far confirmed that Mime will need to stripped of her current blessing. This will need to be done in a manner that satisfies Kismet's ability to confirm. Jury has offered the various means of proof that the process is conducted properly.
"Mime was previously a member of both the Mafia and the Blessers, and both organisations have suffered both a measure of fondness, and a measure of pain concerning her. Without her Blessing, Kismet has conceded that she would not be a threat any longer, and would pose no danger, however this would make it improper to lock her up under full time dual surveillance by both organisations. Amongst other things, that would be impractical. The Blessers' philosophy would allow her to receive her blessing again, if she were deemed truly rehabilitated, but this is not considered acceptable by the Mafia, so long as the decision about her rehabilitation is left in the Blessers' own circle.
"There is also the danger that, were Mime to have her blessing restored, there is no guarantee that she would remain rehabilitated and non-threatening, not just to the Mafia, but also to others around her, wherever she was — in fact it's entirely likely that she would deteriorate again. I will make a proposal for Mime's situation in a moment, but first: Jury, you are aware of why this remains a danger; Kismet, I do not know how much of that matter you are aware of. To that end, we must put those cards on the table, and consider them an extension of trust, and the desire to see no-one else harmed unduly." He paused to take a long breath.
"With your permission, then, Jury, I will speak of this issue as a neutral party." He cast a glance to her, but regardless how she felt about Courser speaking of the danger that the Blessing presented, he was already committed to getting it out in the open between those present. Another thought occurred to him briefly and he turned to look rather more directly. "I am unaware of how well your father understands the problem, Jury, and if you would prefer he not hear us discuss this, that can be arranged, but it must be discussed between the three of us, at least."
Depending on the Blesser's reaction, Courser took the time to ensure that her needs were met; if that meant shielding BlessMan from overhearing discussion about why his blessings were effectively killing people, he was prepared to get the communication line cut off, just for this part of the mediation. Elsewise he would push on once they were all prepared.
"So then," he continued once everything was taken care of, if it needed to be. "The reason upon which the Blessers' need to have regular access to Mime and Shok is predicated, is because the Blessings that bestow their members with power have a downside. A creeping insanity comes with them, which, until recently, Shok has been helping their members manage and control.
"As I understand, her treatments prevent the madness from progressing, but she has not yet been able to cure it completely, though she still hopes to. As I understand, she has worked on BlessMan himself, but has yet to make any permanent headway towards restoring him to lasting health, or rendering the Blessings safe. As things stand, therefore, her work is a stop-gap; vital and necessary, without question, but nevertheless, no more than a plug in a badly cracked dam." He had a feeling that Kismet would want to jump all over this information, if she hadn't been aware of it already, but he held up hand to her if she tried to jump in.
"Now, regardless of what other feelings any of us may have about this situation, this does effectively mean that any punishment that puts and end to Shok's ability to treat the other Blessers will, at this point in time," he let some stressing slip into his words to impress the point on Kismet in particular, "likely be more harmful and dangerous to the Mafia, and the Blessers both, than it would be finding a solution that allowed her to continue treating them, and seeking a cure."
"Now, with that on the table, and given the statements you've both made, and the needs you have both expressed, I am going to put forward a proposal, which, if either of you cannot at least abide and accept, we can discuss and workshop further, until agreement is reached. My proposal is this:
First, on the case of Shok. Given the current state of the Blessers, and their needs, Shok cannot be terminated. Regardless of her other crimes, her work is necessary for the continued safeguarding of other lives. This is an unpleasant truth, but a truth all the same. I propose that a neutral safe house is designated at a location you both agree on. It will be a location that can be easily monitored by the Mafia, and also by the Blessers. It will be a location that members of the Blessers will be able to easily access. Shok will be housed here; it will provide comfortable living space for her, as she needs, and will also provide space for her to continue her work. She will retain her Blessing, and will continue to treat the members of the Blessers, BlessMan himself as necessary, and will continue seeking a means to cure the affliction that besets those who are Blessed.
She will not be permitted to leave this location; her right to privacy will be maintained within areas of the safe house, but otherwise she will we watched by both the Mafia and by the Blessers, in this location. If Shok leaves this location willingly, or if she is confirmed to be elsewhere of her own free will, then this agreement will be viewed as breached, and her life will be immediately forfeit. It is thus in the best interests of both the Blessers, and the Mafia, to ensure that she remains secure in this location, which may serve as both a home and a treatment clinic. Shok will retain effective membership with the Blessers if she desires, but will be obliged to continue her work with them regardless, until a cure is found. She will remain excommunicated from the Mafia, and will no longer be considered a member of their ranks. If desired, she may still receive correspondence and potentially visits from friends she may have within the Mafia, at their discretion, but she may not leave the safe house. She may also receive correspondence and visits from any other friends or family she has that are not affiliated with either organisation, under the same conditions.
If a cure for the madness that afflicts blessings is discovered, then once all of the Blessers, and BlessMan himself have been verified as cured of their madness, and no trace of it remains or risks recurrence, and it is confirmed that any future blessings will also be safe and corruption-free, and both the Blessers, and the Mafia, upon inspection, agree that this is the case, Shok's contribution to this service, and the lives that such will have undoubtedly saved, will be counted as time served for her crimes, and she will then be considered a free woman.
Second, for the case of Mime. Mime's case is much simpler, in that she does not bear the necessary link to the Blessers' predicament. For Mime, I would suggest that her blessing be stripped, and that this is confirmed as done to the satisfaction of Kismet. Jury has provided the means by which this can be verified, and such will be done. At that point, I would suggest that Mime no longer be considered a member of the Blessers, though she may still be permitted to have contact with friends she may have within the organisation, and she may, if she wishes it, undergo whatever rehabilitation the Blessers would normally seek to enact, and have whatever lingering ill-effects her Blessing left treated. Mime may, if she desires, seek to rejoin the Mafia; this decision would be then the Mafia's as to whether she be allowed or not, and they may test her as they would any other recruit, reinstate her position, or refuse her entirely, at their own discretion.
She may, if she chooses, seek to reconcile with the Blessers as well, however, she may not receive a Blessing under any circumstance with the sole exception of this being consented to by both the Blesser's Court, and also by either Kismet herself, or another of sufficient rank to speak for the interests of the Mafia. Both sides would retain veto power in this decision.
If at any point Mime is determined to have had her Blessing restored, or another one granted, without the express and dual agreement of both the Blessers and the Mafia, then her life is to be considered immediately forfeit, and so it will be in the best interest those who wish her life spared to ensure that this agreement is not breached.
Beyond this, no further actions would be taken against Mime. Her past record would not be expunged or forgotten, however, given the circumstance and nature of these crimes, the fact that they were spurred by an act of outside defamation, the fact that both families she was previously a part of have been torn away from her as a result, and the agreement that she be rendered no longer a threat to either organisation, I would suggest that this is enough, and that meeting these requirements she be otherwise free to rebuild her life as she sees fit. If, at any point in the future, she is found to be implicit or complicit in any matters relating to this event and these crimes, having further pursued them of her own accord, then she will know to expect no chance of further leniency or mercy." Courser took a small sip from his drink and ran a hand through his hair.
"This is the middle ground to which the discussion has been pushed. I expect that neither of you are completely satisfied with it, but this was understood at the undertaking. Now. I wish to give each of you a fair chance to raise details that you feel need further discussing or fine tuning, and to agree to whatever amendments need to be made, however, I urge you both strongly to accept this compromise overall which addresses the most base non-negotiable requirements of both of your needs, even if it is not optimal for anyone." He turned his hand outward towards Jury, inviting her assessment of the compromise and any specific details she felt needed amended.
"One at a time, if you would, please. Jury. Your views?" As long as the pair remained civil, and hammered out any minor contentions in a civil fashion, he might not need to intervene further, but he listened carefully, and was prepared to turn the floor more directly over to Kismet once Jury had spoken, if need be; he was prepared to let them back and forth a little at this stage, as long as it was getting somewhere, but he wasn't going to let them bicker.
--
On the other side of the wall, Courser's decoy had remained mostly stationary, lifeless and fairly static, the focus of his work taking all of the navi's concentration, but as the real Courser finished proposing his deal, he was able to spare a new line of multi-threaded thoughts for his clone again. It shook its head once, blinking, then stepping in front of Mime properly and raised his hands to touch lightly to the closed sides of each of her fists with the fingertips of his own hands.
"Sorry for the wait, Sunshine. Heavy deals going on out there. Just got two questions for you, now, though I think one might be more important than the other. Squeeze your left fist for yes, and your right for no, got it? Guess that makes three questions..." He waited briefly for the sign that she understood, his hands lightly on hers.
"Ok, first. I think I've got outright termination off the table now... and if I pull the rest of this off, then you might even have a proper chance to get your things back in order and start rebuilding your life somewhat... but it might be on the caveat that you've got to let the rest of this mess go, and not chase it any further. Do you think you can do that?" He waited for her response, eyes closed for a moment, then cracked a somewhat rueful smirk, even though he knew she couldn't see it.
"Well... you wondered before if I was crazy, and maybe I am, just a bit. I don't know for sure... anyway, the more important question:" He leaned in briefly, close enough that she might be able to sense the closeness of his form to her body, though he didn't move close enough to actually brush against her. He tilted his head though, so he could address his murmur to an ear. "If you walk free, then, are you still interested in that date, some time on the other side?" He stood back, though kept his hands on hers to listen to her answer. "Don't worry; it would only be macabre and creepy if I wasn't confident that you'll get through this ok. I am. What do you say?" A part of Courser was expecting her to, somehow, find a way to give a confusing or unclear answer; in a way he was almost excited by the prospect that she might. There was something fascinating about it; knowing that there was a very clever and intelligent mind, who made a game of sharing what was in it, just because she could. He wondered what thoughts were going around in her head right now, and the shame that it was that he couldn't risk doing anything to let her play games, beyond simple positives and negatives.
Teksqp Jail House
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Jury nodded solemnly with CourseMan's assessment of the negotiation so far, though her eyebrows were still tense and it was clear she was going to have a hard time giving today's proceedings until a little more was given to her. Kismet's face was unreadable, as was here shrug. CourseMan had given them a few pauses where they could speak if they were eager to get something out, but neither seemed to have anything urgent enough to warrant doing so. They stayed silent until he asked them to confirm how much both of them knew or were willing to admit to knowing about the Blessers' deterioration. Jury looked to one side irritably as Kismet spoke first. "Yeah, I know at least a bit about it. The NetPolice declared the Blessers public enemy, right? When they did so, they made some mention of the unpredictable nature of the Blessers. Shok also told us a lot about them... including how she has to be freed from captivity so that she can work on healing them," she spoke coldly, watching Jury even as the other girl averted her eyes. "At first I thought it was just a sob story, and it kind of is... but I definitely think you guys must have been shaken up when the public learned about your little problem. The fact that you hadn't said anything about it... still haven't really... kind of says something," she scowled.
CourseMan had a bit more to say before Jury had a chance to respond. She waived off the concern about her father, tilting her chin up as though literally keeping a stiff upper lip about it. "I thank you for your concern, but... I've tried to explain the problems we're having to him many times before. His dementia has the side effect of escapism. He can seem to understand what I'm telling him for a few precious seconds, before he begins rambling as though he is somewhere else entirely," she spoke with heavy obvious sadness, looking back at the window behind them, though she was unable to see her father through it at present.
Kismet did jump back in once CourseMan finished spilling all he knew about Shok, though, as she'd stated earlier, it didn't appear to be more than she'd learned already by interrogating Shok earlier. "If we're putting it all on the table, then allow me to lay out my own theory: BlessMan didn't get his ability to bless out of nowhere, right? If Shok has to conduct her crazy experiements to further her own methods, then it stands to reason BlessMan's didn't appear out of thin air. I'd bet you Shok wasn't just involved with the cure: she cooked the thing up, then went to damage control when she realized it wasn't working. Unfortunately, several of our Mafioso became her test subjects," she grumbled, looking angry now as she placed one hand onto the desk. "So let's keep that context in mind when we talk about what a shame it is she isn't out 'perfecting her methods.'"
Again, CourseMan pointed out that to punish Shok in a way that restricted her movement was to doom the Blessers, which solicited a sigh and a nod from Kismet, along with eager agreement from Jury. "Yes, that's correct. Whether you condone what Shok's done or not, there is no denying that we need her now to keep those affected as healthy as they can be," the girl in black insisted. She listened to CourseMan's words on what ought to be done with Shok and appeared to agree whole-heartedly. Kismet rolled her eyes, finding something either tiresome or otherwise difficult to go along with. "Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about friends she had in the Mafia. The first ones she had she killed in her experiments and their predecessors all learned about it, so I don't think her stock's real high around here," she spoke with so much dryness that it could barely be called dry humor. "I think you're seriously underestimating how dangerous Shok is. But on the other hand... as long as she's not working on the inside with the Mafia any more, there's probably no reason she'd target us specifically. Keh... when you look at it that way, it's like this whole thing has been a humanitarian effort on my part. But I suppose that's all the more reason we ought to find another place to keep her secure. That last part is a little ridiculous, though. The ends don't always justify the means... I'm not going to forgive everything she did against the Mafia just because she does something nice for the Blessers. We can count that part of 'good behavior' if you want, but I'm not letting her go just because she figures that out."
Perhaps surprisingly Jury agreed. "Yes... if she did something like that, she definitely needs to atone. I'm just pleased that we both agree her work isn't done yet," she sighed. Kismet didn't nod in response; rather, she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grimace, leaving something unsaid.
Next up was Mime's case. Kismet tapped her fingers up and down upon the desk for a moment, then spoke up again. "Mafia killing is par for the course, but Mafia killing other Mafia says something about loyalty. Of course, we discovered Mime had been framed for the murder of her friends by Shok, but she also attacked a lot of other navis as well in her pursuit of... something. The only thing her attacks have in common are that Jailbird and Shok were present at each of them. I was caught in one of those attacks, but not the others," she shrugged. "Regardless, I don't think I'll be extending an invitation for her to rejoin the Mafia, however this shakes out. I would say that understanding what the heck she wants is key to knowing whether she's a threat or not, with or without her mime powers. Would removing her powers let her talk again?"
Jury pressed a finger to her lip thoughtfully, then responded. "No... I don't believe so. You see, Mime's Blessing to create these tools was connected to her promise: to use her great ingenuity to make the world a better place. At the time, it seemed quite a thoughtful mantra, but I suppose it's fair to question just how she hoped to make the world better... "
The shorter of the two spoke back up, leaning her head almost totally sideways. "Especially considering we never could ask her anything. Her operator, Simon, shed some light back at the time, but that was before she went rogue following the first murders. Not even he knows anything about her motivations after that. Just a shot in the dark... but she might want revenge against Shok." Here, Kismet turned her head towards CourseMan and lowered her eyebrows. "Didn't she try to use some kind of invisible knockout gas on you too? Jailbird mentioned it briefly. I'm a little surprised you're not harboring a grudge against her. That aside, my point was... do you think that was a prelude for her to attempt escape and another attack on someone? Do you think she would have attacked you once she was out, for that matter?"
Again, Jury kept surprisingly quiet during this portion. It might occur to CourseMan, again, that Mime was definitely the lower priority in this negotiation from a logical standpoint... if Jury was a good person, she might care about Mime's well-being, but Mime had nothing to do with the welfare of the Blessers or BlessMan himself, compared to Shok. Of course, it was just as likely that she simply hadn't known Mime well enough to speak to her character. "I certainly have no reason to force Mime to keep her Blessing, nor any reason to restore it once we take it away," she nodded along.
Now, it was time for closing arguments. Jury went first, now relatively calm. "I find the terms CourseMan has stated completely agreeable," she stated simply, giving a nod in his direction. "I care about a just outcome for both girls, as we all should, but I admit my greatest interest is in making sure we don't lose our one asset with the capability of keeping our Blessers alive..."
Kismet waited a moment, then raised one eyebrow as if surprised Jury had already finished. "I'll go next, then. It feels like the Mafia is making a lot of concessions here, considering we're holding all the cards... I know you guys care about the girls or whatever, but I care about each of the Mafia's members. Both of those girls are a menace, in different ways. That may not be fair to Mime, but as long as she keeps attacking everyone and we can't learn what she wants, she's a danger. As for Shok, I'm almost 100% certain she ought to be trusted by no one... I'd even say the Blessers are being fools if they think Shok is going to keep treating all of them out of the goodness of her heart... but we can try it your way. If she gets out again, that's all on you guys," she shrugged. "Either way, I guess I'm okay. Oh, and if I wasn't clear earlier: unless Mime can show me why the heck she keeps attacking everybody, she is not getting back into the Mafia. I doubt she cares about that regardless, though."
Jury reached across the table for a handshake, which Kismet reluctantly agreed to. "Then it's settled. All we need now is to hammer out the particulars," she sighed with relief. "Thank you both for hearing me out..."
"Heh... Kind of funny to think that if you'd taken this same case to the Police, you and your dad would both either be in Virtucuffs or deleted by now," Kismet laughed, though she still didn't smile about it. Jury didn't seem to find it very funny, but didn't argue the point either. "Well, maybe there'll come a time where we can scratch each other's backs... the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say..." This, she did manage to crack a smirk about. Despite the old adage, Jury was frowning again; she didn't seem to find the idea of fighting the NetPolice particularly appetizing.
"Yes, well, let's focus on finishing out these details," Jury murmured, preparing a broad, black notepad upon the desk along with a simulated pen, really just a black hologram in a pen's shape. "CourseMan, I thank you again. I know Kismet hired you, but is there anything you'd ask of me, seeing as you really accomplished the task I assigned you as well?" she asked, looking up from her pad. Kismet hadn't mentioned the reward yet, but she probably had the sense that CourseMan had a thing or two to say himself first... he might even still have some points of contention.
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On the other side of the wall, Mime was following along with CourseMan's instructions, seemingly. Likely to his alarm, the first question yielded a clench of her right fist, indicating "no." The relaxed expression of her face, as much as it could be given the gag, betrayed no shame or hesitance in her answer. That might make it somewhat uncomfortable that the next question did yield a pause. Her eyebrows raised behind the mask and her breathing became a bit louder, but she then gave a firm "yes" squeeze. How much could he read into that? It was hard to say... both of the two answers she'd given felt like they needed a lot of elaboration somehow if one was to derive their full meaning.
Across the room, Shok was seemingly waiting patiently, but it was eerie to know that behind her eye-mask, her electrocuted eyes were likely gaping straight forward. Her face looked so intense on a regular basis that it was hard to imagine her mind was ever vacant (or that she was not constantly in some kind of excruciating pain). Presumably, she'd be making that same face now if stripped of her eye-mask.
CourseMan had a bit more to say before Jury had a chance to respond. She waived off the concern about her father, tilting her chin up as though literally keeping a stiff upper lip about it. "I thank you for your concern, but... I've tried to explain the problems we're having to him many times before. His dementia has the side effect of escapism. He can seem to understand what I'm telling him for a few precious seconds, before he begins rambling as though he is somewhere else entirely," she spoke with heavy obvious sadness, looking back at the window behind them, though she was unable to see her father through it at present.
Kismet did jump back in once CourseMan finished spilling all he knew about Shok, though, as she'd stated earlier, it didn't appear to be more than she'd learned already by interrogating Shok earlier. "If we're putting it all on the table, then allow me to lay out my own theory: BlessMan didn't get his ability to bless out of nowhere, right? If Shok has to conduct her crazy experiements to further her own methods, then it stands to reason BlessMan's didn't appear out of thin air. I'd bet you Shok wasn't just involved with the cure: she cooked the thing up, then went to damage control when she realized it wasn't working. Unfortunately, several of our Mafioso became her test subjects," she grumbled, looking angry now as she placed one hand onto the desk. "So let's keep that context in mind when we talk about what a shame it is she isn't out 'perfecting her methods.'"
Again, CourseMan pointed out that to punish Shok in a way that restricted her movement was to doom the Blessers, which solicited a sigh and a nod from Kismet, along with eager agreement from Jury. "Yes, that's correct. Whether you condone what Shok's done or not, there is no denying that we need her now to keep those affected as healthy as they can be," the girl in black insisted. She listened to CourseMan's words on what ought to be done with Shok and appeared to agree whole-heartedly. Kismet rolled her eyes, finding something either tiresome or otherwise difficult to go along with. "Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about friends she had in the Mafia. The first ones she had she killed in her experiments and their predecessors all learned about it, so I don't think her stock's real high around here," she spoke with so much dryness that it could barely be called dry humor. "I think you're seriously underestimating how dangerous Shok is. But on the other hand... as long as she's not working on the inside with the Mafia any more, there's probably no reason she'd target us specifically. Keh... when you look at it that way, it's like this whole thing has been a humanitarian effort on my part. But I suppose that's all the more reason we ought to find another place to keep her secure. That last part is a little ridiculous, though. The ends don't always justify the means... I'm not going to forgive everything she did against the Mafia just because she does something nice for the Blessers. We can count that part of 'good behavior' if you want, but I'm not letting her go just because she figures that out."
Perhaps surprisingly Jury agreed. "Yes... if she did something like that, she definitely needs to atone. I'm just pleased that we both agree her work isn't done yet," she sighed. Kismet didn't nod in response; rather, she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grimace, leaving something unsaid.
Next up was Mime's case. Kismet tapped her fingers up and down upon the desk for a moment, then spoke up again. "Mafia killing is par for the course, but Mafia killing other Mafia says something about loyalty. Of course, we discovered Mime had been framed for the murder of her friends by Shok, but she also attacked a lot of other navis as well in her pursuit of... something. The only thing her attacks have in common are that Jailbird and Shok were present at each of them. I was caught in one of those attacks, but not the others," she shrugged. "Regardless, I don't think I'll be extending an invitation for her to rejoin the Mafia, however this shakes out. I would say that understanding what the heck she wants is key to knowing whether she's a threat or not, with or without her mime powers. Would removing her powers let her talk again?"
Jury pressed a finger to her lip thoughtfully, then responded. "No... I don't believe so. You see, Mime's Blessing to create these tools was connected to her promise: to use her great ingenuity to make the world a better place. At the time, it seemed quite a thoughtful mantra, but I suppose it's fair to question just how she hoped to make the world better... "
The shorter of the two spoke back up, leaning her head almost totally sideways. "Especially considering we never could ask her anything. Her operator, Simon, shed some light back at the time, but that was before she went rogue following the first murders. Not even he knows anything about her motivations after that. Just a shot in the dark... but she might want revenge against Shok." Here, Kismet turned her head towards CourseMan and lowered her eyebrows. "Didn't she try to use some kind of invisible knockout gas on you too? Jailbird mentioned it briefly. I'm a little surprised you're not harboring a grudge against her. That aside, my point was... do you think that was a prelude for her to attempt escape and another attack on someone? Do you think she would have attacked you once she was out, for that matter?"
Again, Jury kept surprisingly quiet during this portion. It might occur to CourseMan, again, that Mime was definitely the lower priority in this negotiation from a logical standpoint... if Jury was a good person, she might care about Mime's well-being, but Mime had nothing to do with the welfare of the Blessers or BlessMan himself, compared to Shok. Of course, it was just as likely that she simply hadn't known Mime well enough to speak to her character. "I certainly have no reason to force Mime to keep her Blessing, nor any reason to restore it once we take it away," she nodded along.
Now, it was time for closing arguments. Jury went first, now relatively calm. "I find the terms CourseMan has stated completely agreeable," she stated simply, giving a nod in his direction. "I care about a just outcome for both girls, as we all should, but I admit my greatest interest is in making sure we don't lose our one asset with the capability of keeping our Blessers alive..."
Kismet waited a moment, then raised one eyebrow as if surprised Jury had already finished. "I'll go next, then. It feels like the Mafia is making a lot of concessions here, considering we're holding all the cards... I know you guys care about the girls or whatever, but I care about each of the Mafia's members. Both of those girls are a menace, in different ways. That may not be fair to Mime, but as long as she keeps attacking everyone and we can't learn what she wants, she's a danger. As for Shok, I'm almost 100% certain she ought to be trusted by no one... I'd even say the Blessers are being fools if they think Shok is going to keep treating all of them out of the goodness of her heart... but we can try it your way. If she gets out again, that's all on you guys," she shrugged. "Either way, I guess I'm okay. Oh, and if I wasn't clear earlier: unless Mime can show me why the heck she keeps attacking everybody, she is not getting back into the Mafia. I doubt she cares about that regardless, though."
Jury reached across the table for a handshake, which Kismet reluctantly agreed to. "Then it's settled. All we need now is to hammer out the particulars," she sighed with relief. "Thank you both for hearing me out..."
"Heh... Kind of funny to think that if you'd taken this same case to the Police, you and your dad would both either be in Virtucuffs or deleted by now," Kismet laughed, though she still didn't smile about it. Jury didn't seem to find it very funny, but didn't argue the point either. "Well, maybe there'll come a time where we can scratch each other's backs... the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say..." This, she did manage to crack a smirk about. Despite the old adage, Jury was frowning again; she didn't seem to find the idea of fighting the NetPolice particularly appetizing.
"Yes, well, let's focus on finishing out these details," Jury murmured, preparing a broad, black notepad upon the desk along with a simulated pen, really just a black hologram in a pen's shape. "CourseMan, I thank you again. I know Kismet hired you, but is there anything you'd ask of me, seeing as you really accomplished the task I assigned you as well?" she asked, looking up from her pad. Kismet hadn't mentioned the reward yet, but she probably had the sense that CourseMan had a thing or two to say himself first... he might even still have some points of contention.
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On the other side of the wall, Mime was following along with CourseMan's instructions, seemingly. Likely to his alarm, the first question yielded a clench of her right fist, indicating "no." The relaxed expression of her face, as much as it could be given the gag, betrayed no shame or hesitance in her answer. That might make it somewhat uncomfortable that the next question did yield a pause. Her eyebrows raised behind the mask and her breathing became a bit louder, but she then gave a firm "yes" squeeze. How much could he read into that? It was hard to say... both of the two answers she'd given felt like they needed a lot of elaboration somehow if one was to derive their full meaning.
Across the room, Shok was seemingly waiting patiently, but it was eerie to know that behind her eye-mask, her electrocuted eyes were likely gaping straight forward. Her face looked so intense on a regular basis that it was hard to imagine her mind was ever vacant (or that she was not constantly in some kind of excruciating pain). Presumably, she'd be making that same face now if stripped of her eye-mask.
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The idea that Shok might have been the one who created BlessMan's capabilities in the first place hadn't occurred to Courser at all, but it did seem a bit far fetched, without knowing any more about the history of the Blessers leader. It might be something to ask Jury about later, but he couldn't afford to get distracted now. The subtle feeling of his thoughts working on their own; the idea of forming a decoy to ask her about it, underlying his more conscious thoughts, and the way another thread of his awareness began to reach for doing it, before he grit his teeth and forced his perspective back down, blinking... the harder he worked to keep a firm hand on that, the more aggressive the little side thoughts seemed to get, but now was not the time to be letting them out. He watched them shake and incline his head politely.
"Easy boss, don't get your head in a ruffle over—" The feeling of a clone rubbing his own shoulders and chatting amiably to him was enough for Courser to dismiss it sharply with a grimace before it could finish speaking.
"Sorry." He focused on the table, taking a longer breath. "If it helps either of you feel better about this agreement, consider that containing Shok in this manner and allowing her to continue to treat the Blessers as needed isn't solely about helping the Blessers. It is also about protecting countless other innocents from the eventualities that may occur if they are not treated. I am glad that you both reach this accord." Really, the fact that they both disagreed together about his proposal for what to do with Shok if a complete cure was ever found, was a good sign; them both disagreeing in unison against his suggestion would continue to help foster implicit agreement between them. It was also a detail they could work out in the fine print later. Right now, he had to get this session closed before his head exploded. He was getting a headache. Courser reached out and took another sip of his water, only to find that the cup was now empty.
"Regarding Mime, from what I have been able to glean form my own interviews with her, her primary focus at this stage is simply an overpowering need to seek vengeance against Shok for, to be blunt, destroying her life... perhaps more than that; I don't know. If she particularly cared about anyone who died as a result of this incident, that would likely also figure. Regardless, it seems that she would not mind losing her own life, if she was certain of taking Shok with her in the process... but it does appear to be motivated by nothing more complex or sinister than vengeance. The provisions we have made are the best we can do in that regard and remain fair. Mime must understand that if she continues to pursue this, and to seek her vengeance in any way, that she well receive no leniency and no extra consideration. There is a good chance that this will not stop her, even with her Blessing stripped; it seems unlikely that she will be able to simply walk away from this and let it drop, but that must still be her decision to make in the end, knowing that to pursue it may mean the forfeiture of her life. You both understand this as well, we have made provisions for it, and Shok's containment will be as much to ensure she is watched and prevented from doing harm, as it is to ensure that she is watched and kept safe from those who would harm her. Her imprisonment in this sense also comes with a mutual duty of care."
"So you know, Boss-man doesn't hold the gas thing against chatterbox.... she didn't know him from jack, and the girl was desperate for—" Again, Courser ruthlessly dismissed the errant clone that had misted in just past his shoulder, and leaned on it to chat with the other two negotiators.
"Thank you, both, for coming to the table today. I'm glad we could reach an amicable solution. With the main accord agreed upon, I'm sure the smaller minutia won't take too long to work out, in terms of simple numbers. I'm just glad I could be of assistance in the matter." With a final grin and a nod of his head, Courser stood from the table and stepped back, resisting the urge to put a hand to his forehead. After taking one step, however, the world narrowed down and darkened at the edges, and the room twisted in his view.
What Kismet and Jury saw, would be the ever-charming navi stumble unexpectedly down to one knee, a hand onthe ground while the other cupped his face. Two decoys appeared more or less at the same time, seemingly fussing over him with varying levels of concern and admonishing.
"Hey, easy, easy! keep it together, mate! What're thinking, tyring to keep yourself all one-dimensional like that!" The first clone was standing beside him, but bent down with his hands on his knees, as though trying to look into Courser's face. The other was crouching in a slightly more supportive position, with hand on his back.
"That's what you get for shutting it in too long, huh? The more you spread out, the more you've got to do it, you know? You knew that, right, boss, didn't you? Jeeze man...." It took a few extra moments before courser waved an ungainly hand through both of the clones, batting them away into shadow one at a time and groaned softly. A fresh decoy appeared in front of him, looking down and shaking his head, arms folded.
"Really done it this time, ya nutjob... Take a minute, sit. Rest your fool head." The decoy sighed, then looked up towards Kismet and Jury. "Give him a minute. The dingbat decided that he needed to focus so hard on being sensible for so long, and anyone who isn't crazy knows that that's no good for anyone, right? So you know, he'll accept whatever reward you want to give. He's just too polite to say, you follow?"
"Shut up!" Courser's voice ground out at a lower volume, but discernible all the same. The clone put its hands up, fading away with a mildly offended look. The real navi pushed himself upright, then turned back to face the others after taking along breath. Oddly, he seemed to be keeping his eyes closed for now.
"Sorry, again. I'm alright, I promise."
"But he does need a rest..." A momentary decoy had stepped out from behind him, casting the two women a sidelong glance before fading away.
"Indeed..." Courser sighed and gave a helpless shrug. His eyes were still shut. At this point, he was mostly waiting to be certain that he was no longer needed. He was happy to be temporarily dismissed while they sorted out the rest, and return to Kismet for her debrief once the rest was finished. It might give him a chance to chat to other people not in the room, after all... for now though he waited on their word.
==
In the far room, his main decoy had taken in Mime's signals; he'd been worried that she wouldn't be able to let it go, but not surprised. more surprising was her apparent willingness to see him again, and there was something of a thrill to be had for pondering whether she was intrigued for real, or just wanted access to him for some other purpose. Unfortunately, just as he was about to ask more, the Clone whipped its head back towards the main room and muttered a short curse, before fading from sight. Mime would likely hear the short oath, and then feel the decoy's fingers fade away from where they were still touching her.
"Easy boss, don't get your head in a ruffle over—" The feeling of a clone rubbing his own shoulders and chatting amiably to him was enough for Courser to dismiss it sharply with a grimace before it could finish speaking.
"Sorry." He focused on the table, taking a longer breath. "If it helps either of you feel better about this agreement, consider that containing Shok in this manner and allowing her to continue to treat the Blessers as needed isn't solely about helping the Blessers. It is also about protecting countless other innocents from the eventualities that may occur if they are not treated. I am glad that you both reach this accord." Really, the fact that they both disagreed together about his proposal for what to do with Shok if a complete cure was ever found, was a good sign; them both disagreeing in unison against his suggestion would continue to help foster implicit agreement between them. It was also a detail they could work out in the fine print later. Right now, he had to get this session closed before his head exploded. He was getting a headache. Courser reached out and took another sip of his water, only to find that the cup was now empty.
"Regarding Mime, from what I have been able to glean form my own interviews with her, her primary focus at this stage is simply an overpowering need to seek vengeance against Shok for, to be blunt, destroying her life... perhaps more than that; I don't know. If she particularly cared about anyone who died as a result of this incident, that would likely also figure. Regardless, it seems that she would not mind losing her own life, if she was certain of taking Shok with her in the process... but it does appear to be motivated by nothing more complex or sinister than vengeance. The provisions we have made are the best we can do in that regard and remain fair. Mime must understand that if she continues to pursue this, and to seek her vengeance in any way, that she well receive no leniency and no extra consideration. There is a good chance that this will not stop her, even with her Blessing stripped; it seems unlikely that she will be able to simply walk away from this and let it drop, but that must still be her decision to make in the end, knowing that to pursue it may mean the forfeiture of her life. You both understand this as well, we have made provisions for it, and Shok's containment will be as much to ensure she is watched and prevented from doing harm, as it is to ensure that she is watched and kept safe from those who would harm her. Her imprisonment in this sense also comes with a mutual duty of care."
"So you know, Boss-man doesn't hold the gas thing against chatterbox.... she didn't know him from jack, and the girl was desperate for—" Again, Courser ruthlessly dismissed the errant clone that had misted in just past his shoulder, and leaned on it to chat with the other two negotiators.
"Thank you, both, for coming to the table today. I'm glad we could reach an amicable solution. With the main accord agreed upon, I'm sure the smaller minutia won't take too long to work out, in terms of simple numbers. I'm just glad I could be of assistance in the matter." With a final grin and a nod of his head, Courser stood from the table and stepped back, resisting the urge to put a hand to his forehead. After taking one step, however, the world narrowed down and darkened at the edges, and the room twisted in his view.
What Kismet and Jury saw, would be the ever-charming navi stumble unexpectedly down to one knee, a hand onthe ground while the other cupped his face. Two decoys appeared more or less at the same time, seemingly fussing over him with varying levels of concern and admonishing.
"Hey, easy, easy! keep it together, mate! What're thinking, tyring to keep yourself all one-dimensional like that!" The first clone was standing beside him, but bent down with his hands on his knees, as though trying to look into Courser's face. The other was crouching in a slightly more supportive position, with hand on his back.
"That's what you get for shutting it in too long, huh? The more you spread out, the more you've got to do it, you know? You knew that, right, boss, didn't you? Jeeze man...." It took a few extra moments before courser waved an ungainly hand through both of the clones, batting them away into shadow one at a time and groaned softly. A fresh decoy appeared in front of him, looking down and shaking his head, arms folded.
"Really done it this time, ya nutjob... Take a minute, sit. Rest your fool head." The decoy sighed, then looked up towards Kismet and Jury. "Give him a minute. The dingbat decided that he needed to focus so hard on being sensible for so long, and anyone who isn't crazy knows that that's no good for anyone, right? So you know, he'll accept whatever reward you want to give. He's just too polite to say, you follow?"
"Shut up!" Courser's voice ground out at a lower volume, but discernible all the same. The clone put its hands up, fading away with a mildly offended look. The real navi pushed himself upright, then turned back to face the others after taking along breath. Oddly, he seemed to be keeping his eyes closed for now.
"Sorry, again. I'm alright, I promise."
"But he does need a rest..." A momentary decoy had stepped out from behind him, casting the two women a sidelong glance before fading away.
"Indeed..." Courser sighed and gave a helpless shrug. His eyes were still shut. At this point, he was mostly waiting to be certain that he was no longer needed. He was happy to be temporarily dismissed while they sorted out the rest, and return to Kismet for her debrief once the rest was finished. It might give him a chance to chat to other people not in the room, after all... for now though he waited on their word.
==
In the far room, his main decoy had taken in Mime's signals; he'd been worried that she wouldn't be able to let it go, but not surprised. more surprising was her apparent willingness to see him again, and there was something of a thrill to be had for pondering whether she was intrigued for real, or just wanted access to him for some other purpose. Unfortunately, just as he was about to ask more, the Clone whipped its head back towards the main room and muttered a short curse, before fading from sight. Mime would likely hear the short oath, and then feel the decoy's fingers fade away from where they were still touching her.
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The two watched a clone slip out from CourseMan with interest, but not any type of alarm, given that all it seemed to be doing was telling him he ought to rest. Kismet looked at the floor for a moment, then back up to him, her grimace widening. "I hope you're right about Shok, CourseMan. She may be able to make the Blessers safer for everyone on the net, but you have to remember that her means and methods up to this point were nothing but 'safe.' If you believe the account about her killing other Mafia members for the sake of her research, that is," she shrugged. "At least we know better than to give her any leeway now... Well, you can rest assured that she will not go unwatched, that's all I'll say."
The two watched CourseMan attempt to make a graceful exit, only to half-collapse onto the floor. "I hope the negotiations didn't take too much out of you," Jury murmured. The concern on her face was that of someone who's seen a lot of navis deal with the same sort of problem, but also that of someone who had been sadly unable to help said navis overcome those conditions. She did manage a smile when he (or one of his clones, rather) mentioned that their mediator was indeed willing to accept whatever reward they saw fit to offer him. "There's no shame in accepting payment. Please, use this with my fondest regards," she spoke politely. CourseMan might wonder how fond her regards truly were... she'd gotten more or less what she wanted, but she had seen his desire to call it down the line even at the expense of her father's safety if need be. How well she thought of him now probably depended on her own impartiality.
"And of course, your payment," Kismet added, producing a nondescript data packet of her own and handing it over.
((CourseMan got 8000z and BigHammer1 x1))
"We'll finish up here. Thank you again for your assistance," Kismet finished. "If you do find yourself interested in more Mafia work, I'm sure any of our families would like to work with you. But for now, you're dismissed. You should go get some rest."
From there, CourseMan proper was free to leave the room. He could swing by and talk to Jailbird some if he wanted, but given his sudden nausea, he may just want to table that for later. It would be interesting to see how things would be different when next he met Shok and Mime, given that they would both be free from their cells (for a certain extent of free) and Mime at least would be drained of her powers.
The two watched CourseMan attempt to make a graceful exit, only to half-collapse onto the floor. "I hope the negotiations didn't take too much out of you," Jury murmured. The concern on her face was that of someone who's seen a lot of navis deal with the same sort of problem, but also that of someone who had been sadly unable to help said navis overcome those conditions. She did manage a smile when he (or one of his clones, rather) mentioned that their mediator was indeed willing to accept whatever reward they saw fit to offer him. "There's no shame in accepting payment. Please, use this with my fondest regards," she spoke politely. CourseMan might wonder how fond her regards truly were... she'd gotten more or less what she wanted, but she had seen his desire to call it down the line even at the expense of her father's safety if need be. How well she thought of him now probably depended on her own impartiality.
"And of course, your payment," Kismet added, producing a nondescript data packet of her own and handing it over.
((CourseMan got 8000z and BigHammer1 x1))
"We'll finish up here. Thank you again for your assistance," Kismet finished. "If you do find yourself interested in more Mafia work, I'm sure any of our families would like to work with you. But for now, you're dismissed. You should go get some rest."
From there, CourseMan proper was free to leave the room. He could swing by and talk to Jailbird some if he wanted, but given his sudden nausea, he may just want to table that for later. It would be interesting to see how things would be different when next he met Shok and Mime, given that they would both be free from their cells (for a certain extent of free) and Mime at least would be drained of her powers.
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Still with his eyes closed, Courser took a single lap around the room, letting his fingertips brush the wall, then took a longer breath and opened his eyes once he was facing Kismet and Jury again. He accepted the payments and tucked them away with an incline of his head, lading into a small bow with one hand lifting to his chest briefly.
"My thanks. If we are concluded for today, I'll take my leave now, and I expect I'll be available in the future if you should have need. I'll..." He paused and rolled his shoulders. "I'll probably be here for a few more minutes, if I'm needed for anything else. I'll just be out in the hall, collecting my thoughts. Otherwise, I'll bid you both a good day and best fortunes, and thank you both again for working with me today." With a last nod, he took one step back and then turned, moving to the main door and letting himself out.
--
While courser was saying his farewell, however, the slight brush of his fingertips along the wall siding Mime and Shok's cell had let he extend his main decoy back into their room briefly. The clone glanced quickly between Shok and Mime, and went to Shok first. Leaning in close, he didn't go so far as to actually touch the imposing woman, but whispered close by her instead.
"Did what I could, Sparky. Here's the deal they're going to cut you. You'll live, and you'll be watched. You'll continue your work with the Blessers and the Blessers only, with an eye to keeping them safe and stable. Any signs that you're doing anything else, and it'll be lights out. Any attempts to escape, or to do harm, lights out. You're going to be on a razor edge for a while. You'll be safe, you'll be protected, but you'll be under house arrest, and it'll be contingent on your cooperation and your work towards a lasting and safe cure. That was the price of your life. Good luck, Sparky." He drew back, watching for a moment to see how Shok took the news. When he'd spoken to her before, she'd seemed dedicated to getting back to her people and helping them... so if she was genuine in that desire, she might be content with the deal he'd brokered. If she had any deeper motive, though, it might be a substantial yoke for her to deal with. Regardless of how she seemed to react, he stepped back, and then glided over to the other side of the room where Mime was restrained.
"Sorry about that, Sunshine..." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, and then reached out his hands to rest finger tips against the sides of her fists, like before, letting her know where he was. "A surprise came up, but it's sorted now. Listen..." He paused, picking words carefully. "Negotiation's done. You're going to walk free, but, there's going to be a price. Beyond that, they're going to tell you to leave this whole mess alone and not seek any further vengeance. That is what they'll tell you, and it'll come with the warning that if you're caught trying to get further revenge, they're going to treat your life as forfeit on sight. No second chances now." He put some slight presser on his finger tips against her fists, giving the impression of a friendly squeeze. "So... you know... if you can't let it go, at least don't get caught, alright? I have to go now, but I'll try to stay in touch if I can. Are you going to be ok?" He defaulted to the same yes and no system they'd used before; her left for positive, her right for negative, and waited still in front of her with his hands out touching each of her fists while he waited to see how she responded.
--
Out in the hall, Courser himself took his time wandering back down to where Jailbird took her shifts. He was trying not to overdo things while he was clearing his head from the brief melt down, but for some reason, splitting up the senses between himself and the decoy talking to Mime actually seemed to relieve some of the stress, rather than aggravate it. Keeping himself focused and locked down to a single objects had been the difficult part, the longer he'd forced himself not to let any clones thoughts escape. By the time he found JailBird again, he was feeling more relaxed.
"Hey there, Songbird. Working hard?" He grinned an leaned on whatever wall was near her without being overly familiar. "Don't mind me, just clearing my head and taking a few. Peace talks with those two was a bit of razor edge for a while. Safe now, I think, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, arguing over life prices, you know." He folded his hands behind his head, then winked at her with a smirk.
"But hey, negotiation's done, and there's going to be prices paid and exchanged, and both of those ladies will be out of your hair in the near future, by the look of things... Anything on your mind?" Courser was happy to just relax and shoot the breeze with the gaol warden for a little while, and listen to anything she had to chat about, while his clone wrapped things up with the soon to be former captives.
"My thanks. If we are concluded for today, I'll take my leave now, and I expect I'll be available in the future if you should have need. I'll..." He paused and rolled his shoulders. "I'll probably be here for a few more minutes, if I'm needed for anything else. I'll just be out in the hall, collecting my thoughts. Otherwise, I'll bid you both a good day and best fortunes, and thank you both again for working with me today." With a last nod, he took one step back and then turned, moving to the main door and letting himself out.
--
While courser was saying his farewell, however, the slight brush of his fingertips along the wall siding Mime and Shok's cell had let he extend his main decoy back into their room briefly. The clone glanced quickly between Shok and Mime, and went to Shok first. Leaning in close, he didn't go so far as to actually touch the imposing woman, but whispered close by her instead.
"Did what I could, Sparky. Here's the deal they're going to cut you. You'll live, and you'll be watched. You'll continue your work with the Blessers and the Blessers only, with an eye to keeping them safe and stable. Any signs that you're doing anything else, and it'll be lights out. Any attempts to escape, or to do harm, lights out. You're going to be on a razor edge for a while. You'll be safe, you'll be protected, but you'll be under house arrest, and it'll be contingent on your cooperation and your work towards a lasting and safe cure. That was the price of your life. Good luck, Sparky." He drew back, watching for a moment to see how Shok took the news. When he'd spoken to her before, she'd seemed dedicated to getting back to her people and helping them... so if she was genuine in that desire, she might be content with the deal he'd brokered. If she had any deeper motive, though, it might be a substantial yoke for her to deal with. Regardless of how she seemed to react, he stepped back, and then glided over to the other side of the room where Mime was restrained.
"Sorry about that, Sunshine..." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, and then reached out his hands to rest finger tips against the sides of her fists, like before, letting her know where he was. "A surprise came up, but it's sorted now. Listen..." He paused, picking words carefully. "Negotiation's done. You're going to walk free, but, there's going to be a price. Beyond that, they're going to tell you to leave this whole mess alone and not seek any further vengeance. That is what they'll tell you, and it'll come with the warning that if you're caught trying to get further revenge, they're going to treat your life as forfeit on sight. No second chances now." He put some slight presser on his finger tips against her fists, giving the impression of a friendly squeeze. "So... you know... if you can't let it go, at least don't get caught, alright? I have to go now, but I'll try to stay in touch if I can. Are you going to be ok?" He defaulted to the same yes and no system they'd used before; her left for positive, her right for negative, and waited still in front of her with his hands out touching each of her fists while he waited to see how she responded.
--
Out in the hall, Courser himself took his time wandering back down to where Jailbird took her shifts. He was trying not to overdo things while he was clearing his head from the brief melt down, but for some reason, splitting up the senses between himself and the decoy talking to Mime actually seemed to relieve some of the stress, rather than aggravate it. Keeping himself focused and locked down to a single objects had been the difficult part, the longer he'd forced himself not to let any clones thoughts escape. By the time he found JailBird again, he was feeling more relaxed.
"Hey there, Songbird. Working hard?" He grinned an leaned on whatever wall was near her without being overly familiar. "Don't mind me, just clearing my head and taking a few. Peace talks with those two was a bit of razor edge for a while. Safe now, I think, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, arguing over life prices, you know." He folded his hands behind his head, then winked at her with a smirk.
"But hey, negotiation's done, and there's going to be prices paid and exchanged, and both of those ladies will be out of your hair in the near future, by the look of things... Anything on your mind?" Courser was happy to just relax and shoot the breeze with the gaol warden for a little while, and listen to anything she had to chat about, while his clone wrapped things up with the soon to be former captives.
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The two ladies bid CourseMan farewell, seeming to think it best not to hold him up any longer. He did, however, spare a clone to say some last farewells to the two captives. It was a little hard to tell how Shok took the news, given that her bulging eyes and clenched teeth were pretty constant, but she didn't seem to be thrashing around much. That could be a good sign. Mime's eyes similarly were rarely very expressive, other than a tilt of the eyebrows, especially with the blindfold on. She did return an affirmation how he was expecting, at least. CourseMan couldn't tell for sure if that meant she had agreed to call off her grudge or just be very stealthy in her pursuit of it, but either way, at least she was likely to appreciate being let off of the headsman's block.
CourseMan had one more person to say goodbye to, that being the jailer he'd only exchanged brief pleasantries with earlier. Jailbird was still in the same place he expected to find her, guarding the door leading to the small block of cells that had formerly held Gala, Shok, and Mime, but now probably only held the first of those three. Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with the crazed party girl this time around, as Jailbird was guarding from outside the block. She was about as busy as she usually seemed; namely, she was leaning against one wall, holding onto a transparent gray viewscreen and evidently browsing a forum. Being caught in the act didn't seem to bother her and she kept her usually lazy frown. "Mmm, yup. Hard as ever," she answered, giving him a quick nod. "Careful, if you get too good at leaning like that, they're going to give you my job," she joked.
She raised an eyebrow as he described what he'd been up to. "Huh... Nevermind then. Sounds like you're well above my pay grade already," she chuckled dryly. "I guess I knew both girls were going to be out of here, I just thought it'd be in bodybags. I wasn't really fond of either of 'em, but I have to admit, I liked 'em better than Gala anyway... At least I could treat those two as prisoners. Gala, you have to check on her every hour or so, see if she needs anything, get her food if she's hungry... It's a big pain," she sighed deeply. "Anyway, hopefully you guys know what you're doing. Mime and Shok were both super dangerous. I'm sure you two figured that all out, though."
She paused for a big yawn, then threw away the viewscreen and moved both arms behind to cushion behind her head. "How about you? I guess you're happy about the way it worked out, judging by the way you're acting? You're a weird dude... I'd want anybody who tried to poison me locked up," she commented absently, turning her eyes back towards him. "Geez... I wish they'd imprison some cool people here or something. It's boring as crap around here," she moaned. "Say, why don't you go give Kismet a wedgie or something? You could hang around in one of these cells and maybe I'd even come check on you every hour..."
CourseMan had one more person to say goodbye to, that being the jailer he'd only exchanged brief pleasantries with earlier. Jailbird was still in the same place he expected to find her, guarding the door leading to the small block of cells that had formerly held Gala, Shok, and Mime, but now probably only held the first of those three. Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with the crazed party girl this time around, as Jailbird was guarding from outside the block. She was about as busy as she usually seemed; namely, she was leaning against one wall, holding onto a transparent gray viewscreen and evidently browsing a forum. Being caught in the act didn't seem to bother her and she kept her usually lazy frown. "Mmm, yup. Hard as ever," she answered, giving him a quick nod. "Careful, if you get too good at leaning like that, they're going to give you my job," she joked.
She raised an eyebrow as he described what he'd been up to. "Huh... Nevermind then. Sounds like you're well above my pay grade already," she chuckled dryly. "I guess I knew both girls were going to be out of here, I just thought it'd be in bodybags. I wasn't really fond of either of 'em, but I have to admit, I liked 'em better than Gala anyway... At least I could treat those two as prisoners. Gala, you have to check on her every hour or so, see if she needs anything, get her food if she's hungry... It's a big pain," she sighed deeply. "Anyway, hopefully you guys know what you're doing. Mime and Shok were both super dangerous. I'm sure you two figured that all out, though."
She paused for a big yawn, then threw away the viewscreen and moved both arms behind to cushion behind her head. "How about you? I guess you're happy about the way it worked out, judging by the way you're acting? You're a weird dude... I'd want anybody who tried to poison me locked up," she commented absently, turning her eyes back towards him. "Geez... I wish they'd imprison some cool people here or something. It's boring as crap around here," she moaned. "Say, why don't you go give Kismet a wedgie or something? You could hang around in one of these cells and maybe I'd even come check on you every hour..."
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When his decoy felt Mime's reaction, it nodded to the silence, then withdrew its hands.
"Alright. See you on the outside some time then." There was a brief moment when he was tempted to give the peculiar girl a quick peck on the forehead for goodbye, but considering she wasn't in much of a position to let him, the shadowy image restrained itself from doing so, and instead faded away with a small grin.
Outside, the real Courser let Jailbird's lazy chatter amble its relaxed way over him, grinning in a very similar way to his decoy. He chuckled at her joke about his posture but only raised a matching eyebrow to her comment about his work. Her suggestion for entertainment got another amused laugh and a smirk that accompanied the faint eye twinkle.
"Every hour, you say? Would you be a good warden and make sure I enjoyed my stay in chateau Jailbird? Would you give me a private check up every now and then, just loud enough to make Gala mad that she's not getting your attention?" He winked then relaxed back against the wall looking out and away again, though he was still grinning.
"Well, I'm not official Mafia just yet, you know. Don't think I want to Kiss-Kiss turn all Bang-Bang on me just yet..." As he spoke, a second image of himself slipped out of the wall to lean in an equally relaxed pose on the other side of Jailbird.
"Not that she'd probably get too worked up, you know... Poor girl seems like she's always expected everyone to try and stab her in the back all the time anyway, just from what we've seen..." The decoy chuckled to itself, then shrugged and faded away again, but courser turned to lean on one elbow so he could look more directly at his companion.
"Tell you what... Once I'm actually all signed up and they give my my library card, I'll come visit you again, and you can tell me about whatever new inmates you end up with, and we'll think of some way to pass a bit of time that's more fun than staring at a wall. Sound bearable?" His head tilted slightly and one eyebrow lifted up to see if she was interested in the exceptionally loosely defined and very casual interpretation of a date. After another moment he lay back again and put his hands behind his head.
"So was it really just poison, in the end? I sort of guessed it was something worse.... nerve gas, necrotic self-collapsing code stings, something like that, you know? To be honest, I presumed she was actively trying to murder Shok and anyone else who happened to be collateral to that. No-one died this time though, so, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned... and it means we ended up here, and I had to play diplomat, give myself a terrible headache... and now I'm chatting to you, so overall that's a win, right?" He shrugged and chuckled softly, and closed his eyes. He would have to get moving soon, but it was always nice to make time for a chat, even if it was brief.
"Alright. See you on the outside some time then." There was a brief moment when he was tempted to give the peculiar girl a quick peck on the forehead for goodbye, but considering she wasn't in much of a position to let him, the shadowy image restrained itself from doing so, and instead faded away with a small grin.
Outside, the real Courser let Jailbird's lazy chatter amble its relaxed way over him, grinning in a very similar way to his decoy. He chuckled at her joke about his posture but only raised a matching eyebrow to her comment about his work. Her suggestion for entertainment got another amused laugh and a smirk that accompanied the faint eye twinkle.
"Every hour, you say? Would you be a good warden and make sure I enjoyed my stay in chateau Jailbird? Would you give me a private check up every now and then, just loud enough to make Gala mad that she's not getting your attention?" He winked then relaxed back against the wall looking out and away again, though he was still grinning.
"Well, I'm not official Mafia just yet, you know. Don't think I want to Kiss-Kiss turn all Bang-Bang on me just yet..." As he spoke, a second image of himself slipped out of the wall to lean in an equally relaxed pose on the other side of Jailbird.
"Not that she'd probably get too worked up, you know... Poor girl seems like she's always expected everyone to try and stab her in the back all the time anyway, just from what we've seen..." The decoy chuckled to itself, then shrugged and faded away again, but courser turned to lean on one elbow so he could look more directly at his companion.
"Tell you what... Once I'm actually all signed up and they give my my library card, I'll come visit you again, and you can tell me about whatever new inmates you end up with, and we'll think of some way to pass a bit of time that's more fun than staring at a wall. Sound bearable?" His head tilted slightly and one eyebrow lifted up to see if she was interested in the exceptionally loosely defined and very casual interpretation of a date. After another moment he lay back again and put his hands behind his head.
"So was it really just poison, in the end? I sort of guessed it was something worse.... nerve gas, necrotic self-collapsing code stings, something like that, you know? To be honest, I presumed she was actively trying to murder Shok and anyone else who happened to be collateral to that. No-one died this time though, so, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned... and it means we ended up here, and I had to play diplomat, give myself a terrible headache... and now I'm chatting to you, so overall that's a win, right?" He shrugged and chuckled softly, and closed his eyes. He would have to get moving soon, but it was always nice to make time for a chat, even if it was brief.
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All that was left for CourseMan now was a little more banter with Jailbird, who didn't seem to have much to do otherwise. "Ha. I doubt Gala would care about my attention. Yours, on the other hand," she chuckled. "I almost wanna do it just cause it'd piss her off right now. There's an empty bed in there right now, after all..." She turned to the other side, seeing another CourseMan appear. "Er... two empty beds."
She mellowed back down a little as he mentioned Kismet (or at least, she assumed that he was talking about not wanting to upset Kismet). "Yeah, I guess she dealt with it recently and she probably sees it a lot, being that deep in the Mafia Head Family. Anywho, show back up once you're Mafia and I'll... well, we'll figure out something to do. Not a lot to do around here unless you like the jailer," she joked, giving another semi-amused smirk. He had a few more questions and, again, devoid of other tasks to occupy herself, she seemed unperturbed to continue answering them. "Uh, actually, I misspoke earlier. It was just knockout gas, or that's what the toxic control guy said. It would have knocked out everyone in the room for a bit, except for her... hard to say what would have happened after that. My guess is she'd have tried to off Shok again, given her history. She must have been planning it for a long time... she'd been in here a while before she finally met any other jailer than me. Probably trying to use your inexperience with her tricks as a way to escape," Jailbird shrugged. "Anyway, buddy, if finding a chance to talk to me is all it takes to make you happy, you're going to be the cheapest guy Mafia's ever had on payroll," she laughed, then leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes peacefully, as though she planned to go back to sleep.
She mellowed back down a little as he mentioned Kismet (or at least, she assumed that he was talking about not wanting to upset Kismet). "Yeah, I guess she dealt with it recently and she probably sees it a lot, being that deep in the Mafia Head Family. Anywho, show back up once you're Mafia and I'll... well, we'll figure out something to do. Not a lot to do around here unless you like the jailer," she joked, giving another semi-amused smirk. He had a few more questions and, again, devoid of other tasks to occupy herself, she seemed unperturbed to continue answering them. "Uh, actually, I misspoke earlier. It was just knockout gas, or that's what the toxic control guy said. It would have knocked out everyone in the room for a bit, except for her... hard to say what would have happened after that. My guess is she'd have tried to off Shok again, given her history. She must have been planning it for a long time... she'd been in here a while before she finally met any other jailer than me. Probably trying to use your inexperience with her tricks as a way to escape," Jailbird shrugged. "Anyway, buddy, if finding a chance to talk to me is all it takes to make you happy, you're going to be the cheapest guy Mafia's ever had on payroll," she laughed, then leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes peacefully, as though she planned to go back to sleep.
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"And I'm almost tempted to take you up on that suggestion..." Courser let the flirtatious tone play through his voice. Relaxing alongside Jailbird did lead him to consider the possibilities she was suggesting, and frankly, it wasn't like he had anything against a bit of casual fun here and there... in principle, anyway. There was a long moment where he considered.
"I think it'd be a lot of fun to give you a hand—" "Or four..." his clone chipped in from the other side of her with a wink. "But if I really wanted to make sure a lady enjoyed herself fully, it'll take more time than I have today." He chuckled here, but then stood from the wall and stretched, rolling his shoulders and buffing his knuckles on the front of his chest casually. "And somehow, I think promising to make it quick wouldn't really be the right impression to make, right? Another time, and I'll make sure you're glad you waited. Promise." He winked at her, still grinning, then shrugged, turning to walk away. Before he jacked out and returned to make sure Jenny wasn't getting up to too much mischief, Courser turned his head back, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"See you later, Songbird... don't over do it now!" He pressed two fingers to his lips, then gestured out with them casually, tossing her the simulated kiss blow. He took a few more steps away from her before seeming to fade away into the shadows of the corridor.
((Courser Jacking out, Returning to -> Jenny's house))
"I think it'd be a lot of fun to give you a hand—" "Or four..." his clone chipped in from the other side of her with a wink. "But if I really wanted to make sure a lady enjoyed herself fully, it'll take more time than I have today." He chuckled here, but then stood from the wall and stretched, rolling his shoulders and buffing his knuckles on the front of his chest casually. "And somehow, I think promising to make it quick wouldn't really be the right impression to make, right? Another time, and I'll make sure you're glad you waited. Promise." He winked at her, still grinning, then shrugged, turning to walk away. Before he jacked out and returned to make sure Jenny wasn't getting up to too much mischief, Courser turned his head back, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"See you later, Songbird... don't over do it now!" He pressed two fingers to his lips, then gestured out with them casually, tossing her the simulated kiss blow. He took a few more steps away from her before seeming to fade away into the shadows of the corridor.
((Courser Jacking out, Returning to -> Jenny's house))