Event | Turtle Dive | January 16 - 19 | Everything's better down where it's wetter~

[hazelwood]

Characters: Any and all PCs, plus an offering of Lieuen
Date: January 16th - 19th
Location: All Sectors
Situation: Tu Vishan begins to dive to the ocean floor and the city of Keeliai seems unbothered by the process. Bonfire funtimes are made available to all!
Warnings/Rating: Underwater situations; to be updated as noted

>See the comments of this post for various situations and areas available for tagging.
>Each header will be set for a date and/or area.
>A unique thread under the bonfires is available for discussions with Lieuen, should there be interested parties.
>Feel free to start your own header for specific situations.
>Refer to the two OOC posts for further details. 01 | 02

Comments

[cowled]

[He nearly froze to death on a mountain once, when he was younger than she is now. And so, it earns a laugh.]

You think? I find the cold rather exhilarating. In the right circumstances, of course.

[tuskenlancer]

[CT just shakes her head again. She's still eyeing him warily - she may not be yelling at him anymore, but she still doesn't entirely trust him, or anything close.]

What circumstances?

[cowled]

[He leans a little to her side, as if he's about to share some Great Conspiratorial Secret.]

I'm quite the experienced mountaineer. It's... an incredible experience, to watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain on a nice, brisk morning.

[... pause.]

Of course, that could be the decreased oxygen levels playing havoc with my brain chemistry.

[tuskenlancer]

[She nods slowly, her expression still thoughtful and serious.]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

[And her tone is so flat and dry, it's impossible to tell if she means it or not.]

[cowled]

[He laughs.]

Are you always this hostile, Miss Connecticut?

[tuskenlancer]

[CT scowls. That's one of those questions that's impossible to answer, like you don't talk much, do you?

She glances down at her lap, hands fidgeting despite herself.]

Not always.

[cowled]

Just around arrogant billionaires?

[Hm. The fidgeting is an interesting point, further driving home the fact that she uses her hostility as a sort of shield. Actively meant to deter people.

But the passion with which she'd responded to his admission of what he does here...

She's been used in the past for an agenda not her own. The experience sat poorly with her. But she's young, and like the young she only knows how to lash out to keep people at bay. Being as he is, Bruce has found, is a far more efficient method. Lashing out lets people know you're hiding pain. Playing the profligate tends to create the assumption you don't feel it at all.]

[tuskenlancer]

[And CT, despite how perceptive she's capable of being, has fallen for Bruce's act. She's getting no impression of understanding from him. An arrogant billionare, yes - not completely selfish, perhaps, but almost entirely clueless, all the same.

Still, no one likes being accused of hostility. She presses her hands together to keep them still, lips in a thin line as she studies him.]

What do you think?

[cowled]

I think you're still sitting here.

[Given the fact that she could have stalked off a while ago? There's definitely something more to her act.]

[tuskenlancer]

Do you want me to leave?

[Because she will. She just...hasn't, yet.]

[cowled]

Shouldn't I be asking you that question? After all, I'm the one who barged over here with some semblance of bribery. Which doesn't seem to have worked, by the way.

[He tips his head, gestures to her still-untouched mug of cider.]

[tuskenlancer]

[She glances over at the cider, and then away again. Honestly, she'd forgotten about it, and while she doesn't think it's poisoned anymore - doesn't think he's either malicious or devious enough for that - she still has no urge to drink it. It's a matter of principle, at this point - or maybe it's just that she doesn't let herself get in the habit of accepting drinks from strangers, no matter who or where they are.]

I'm not thirsty.

[cowled]

No sense letting it go to waste, then.

[He tosses off the dregs of his own cup and sets it to one side and then gestures for the other one.]

[tuskenlancer]

[So much for roofies or poison in her drink, then. CT looks at him for a moment, and then picks up the cup and hands it over, watching him critically the whole time.]

[cowled]

[He sips at it, and then cradles the cup between his hands.]

Do you mind if I ask how long you've been here?

[tuskenlancer]

[Good question. She furrows her brow, trying to remember.]

About four months?

[cowled]

I'm surprised we haven't spoken before now.

[NO. REALLY. HE IS. And a little suspicious. She is an awfully secretive person, after all.]

[tuskenlancer]

[She just shrugs, unconcerned. It's not as if she's gone out of her way to make friends on the turtle.]

There's a lot of people here.

[cowled]

Not as many 'foreigners' though, I don't believe? There only seems to be a few dozen of us.

[He's undercutting the average by quite a bit. A self-absorbed billionaire's prerogative.]

[tuskenlancer]

I think there's more than that.

[CT studies him, eyes narrowed slightly.]

Why's it matter?

[cowled]

It doesn't.

[A breezy wave of his hand.]

I'm simply making conversation.

[tuskenlancer]

Right.

[Right.

She gives him another long, suspicious look. Something about him, about their whole conversation, still pings her as strange, but after a moment, she dismisses it, shrugging her shoulders and looking away.]

Well, if we had talked before, at least one of us would probably remember it, right?

[cowled]

Don't give me too much credit. I've been told I'd forget my head if it weren't attached.

[And he says it like it doesn't bother him in the slightest.]

[tuskenlancer]

Hmm.

[She shoots him a sidelong glance, neither outright agreeing or denying it. Truthfully, though...yeah, she'd believe it. Congratulations, Bruce, you've pulled off just the airheaded playboy persona you were probably going for.]

It really doesn't matter, anyway.

[cowled]

[Mission: accomplished.]

That sounds alarmingly pessimistic.