welgaia | (no subject)

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ch: dehipster

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[No more Wankerville, this time! Nope, this time our resident nexus place is known as Japanifornia. Some odd mishmash of Los Angeles and Tokyo, Japanifornia is in fact a huge city with skycrapers and lots of roads with hills. A tram moves through the city but people can also take a car or their bike. There's parks, a lake, sushi places, burger places, noodle places, gashapon machines and a Starbills on every corner. Most homes are equipped with a traditional Japanifornian kotatsu. It's a paradise for weebs and hipsters alike. Also, a themepark because why the heck not.

Truly, the greatest city in these United States of Nexusica.]

[De Killer bit]

[Still, a nexus is a nexus, which means it draws in people from all sorts of places. There's only so much order to be found. Turns out, some rich asshole is trying to run for 'president'. One would think it'd be mayor, but considering a nexus is basically a world of its own, he might as well be attempting to crown himself King of the World. Outrageous remarks of building a wall to keep out more 'foreigners' aren't gaining him much popularity either. He's lucky that there's a couple of rednecks on his side who feel that the city might be getting a bit too crowded.

Even so, many residents of Japanifornia are in agreement; this powerhungry douche by the name of Ronald Chump needs to go.

As luck would have it, Shelly de Killer has already set up office in Japanifornia and has now been approached to eliminate the problem. He's not going to do it alone, either. Benny (who's been around for an equally long time) will be joining him on this venture.]

[Other]

[Who else is in Japanifornia? Do a thing!]

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[Shelly nods.] You understand.

Now, I don't believe we've had the chance to discuss this sort of thing at length, so I am curious-- [... Did his monocle just glint?] If you were to do this alone, how would you approach the assignment? What have you learned?

[If Ben is avoiding the request, then Shelly, in turn, is glossing over that. It wasn't a request.

Funny, he would note to himself later, how similarly they navigated the conversation.]

[Oh... Uhoh. He's told this version of Shelly that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps, he's sure he did. Even so, the question is right there. What has he learned? Plenty, but that's not how he'd approach the matter if he were alone. In fact, he wouldn't approach it at all.

He falls silent for a good five seconds, doing his best not to let any hesitation show on his face.]

It... It depends. If it were me, perhaps... poison. Even if he has someone to taste his food for him, then perhaps there's some kind of medication that he uses that could be tampered with. [Subtle, indirect and with Benny far away from the aftermath. That was the style he'd used to try and take out the Phantom.]

Edited 2016-07-11 15:59 (UTC)

Poison?

[The passive type, then. Or... the squeamish type, perhaps, since he refused the name. He's still young, though. It isn't too late for Shelly to see what can be done.]

I see. I presume you would infiltrate his ranks, then? How would you ensure the right person consumed the poison, and leave your card behind?

[He's passive and squeamish. Ironically, he's too much of a gentleman to be a 'gentleman assassin'. The continued line of questioning is putting him a little on edge, partly because it feels so familiar.]

I... suppose it depends on how many close bodyguards he has. [Leaving the card inside the medicine's container was a mistaken, he learned that much. It has to be left once he's sure the target is actually dead.] It can't be left too late, or the police won't take it seriously, so... Hm.

[Shelly listens, and when Ben is done speaking, the expression on his face is downright inscrutable.

Or, to someone who is used to reading de Killer's face, it might just be "thoughtful".]

And what if you arrived at the conclusion that poison was simply not the ideal tool for the job?

[Good question. Explosives? ...No no, too much collateral damage. See, this is exactly why he was having so much trouble taking out the Phantom.]

... Sniping, I suppose. [He looks uncertain even as he says it.]

[He makes a quiet little sound of acknowledgement.]

Either way, it would be necessary to study the target carefully... which is why I am looking forward to your cooperation.

[Ahah, studying. Now that, Benny can do. He's seen a few news snippets here and there, involving Chump's outrageous statements and motives for becoming 'president'. Already, he can see the beginnings of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Lack of empathy, a delicate self-esteem that can trigger an aggressive self-defense mechanism... It's quite interesting. Imagine what a closer look might reveal.

Naturally, there's a question of morality involved here. Can he really use his experience and knowledge as a therapist to help an assassin take a man's life? Normally, he wouldn't, but this is his father.]

... I would be happy to help you with that much, at least. Studying a man like that is bound to be a good learning experience.

[There it is - a smile, only slightly different from Shelly usual expression of polite amiability, but different enough for anybody who is familiar with his mannerisms.

A small victory.]

Excellent. I was hoping to hear as much.

[Benny is familiar, yes. He can see the smile. It's a little curious to think about; this Shelly is not his father- this Shelly never considered him a son. Why would something like this make him proud? ...Unless he's only thankful for the assistance. That's a possibility Benny can't deny.]

... I'm glad I can be of service, then.

[Trust is a funny thing.

A thing that needs to be handled carefully, no doubt - Shelly hasn't made many mistakes, all in all, but in his line of work, any single mistake can be disastrously costly. His safety, his reputation, the lives of unrelated third parties - all of those may be at stake.

But, well, if he can't trust himself across realities, who can he trust? Another him chose this young man as his successor. All Shelly can do is treat him just as this other self would.]

Now then, shall we get to work?

[He can't quite hide the look of mild surprise that dawns on his face. Shelly wants to get to work right now? It's not as if Benny had any concrete plans, but even so, it catches him off guard. He feels as if he needs time to prepare- to steel himself for something like this.]

Ah... You wish to get started right away?

There is no reason for the preparatory work to be delayed. Not the execution itself yet, of course, but as we have just discussed, there are things to be done before the deed, yes?

[Wow. Wow. Now Benny feels like an idiot for wanting time to prepare for the preparations. Shelly's right- of course he is. There's no reason for a delay.]

Of course. ...Yes, in that case, we should begin.

First, I am afraid... we must watch Mr. Chump at work.

[And damn, he sounds genuinely displeased by the idea.]

[Blegh... Benny is equally displeased, if not more so. He has a bit of a problem with racist, sexist bigots.]

I could compile a collection of past news broadcasts and interviews involving him.

Such unpleasant work... Are you sure you can handle it on your own?

I can. [Don't underestimate his Googlefu- Or whatever the Japanifornia equivalent of it would be. Still...]

However, if you wish to keep me company and monitor my sanity levels, I wouldn't object.

[That is actually what Shelly was referring to, so he nods.] I am certainly willing to do so.

[Out of mere courtesy and professional curiosity, of course. There isn't a single cell in Shelly's body currently wondering what it might be like to spend some time working and sharing knowledge with his alternate dimension child.

None at all. That would be nonsense.]

[Yay, semi-quality time with his not-dad. It's too bad that this is what that time has to be spent on. He snaps whatever book he'd been reading shut and reaches for the TV remote instead. Because yes, he has a TV in here. It's a smart TV from Snapple, because of course it is.]

Have a seat. [Err, wherever there is room, because both the other chair in the room and the bed are occupied by cats.]

... Hmm.

[Welp, only one thing to do. He moves over to the chair, lifts the cat...] Excuse me, little one. [... takes the seat and sets the cat back on his lap. The cat resumes its nap with little more than an annoyed "prr".]

It's unfortunate that our friends have to deal with Mr. Chump as well, now that I think of it.

[It takes Benny a second too long to realize who 'their friends' are. Always nice to have some more confirmation that Shelly likes animals. Or, at the very least, doesn't mind them.]

I'm relatively certain they can handle it. Cats are deceptively strong and if all else fails, they can block it out by sinking into a deep nap.

It isn't often that I wish I could do the same instead of working.

[As it happens, Mr. Chump happens to be on TV right now. Shelly huffs quietly.] How can one man be so orange...?

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