(no subject)

[whuppity]

It's really quite simple, dearie. You owe me.

If we were to quantify it, add together every little slight you've committed against me, it's probably safe to say that you owe me quite a bit more than you could ever hope to repay. And that's a problem. [Nobody breaks deals with Rumplestiltskin, after all.] Luckily for you, I'm a reasonable man.

I have a proposition for you.

Find me my son - [B-but --] No, don't argue. I know you can. I've seen it done, I know you can do it. Return my son to me, fix everything that went wrong between us and you can consider your debt to me repaid.

And if you succeed, who knows. I might even end up owing you a favour or two. Wouldn't that be something. 

Comments

[loveandhope]

You know there's a much nicer way to ask.

[whuppity]

Strange. I got the sense that a simple please probably wouldn't cut it. [Especially since that little trick with Regina is now null and void.] And I don't remember asking you for your opinion.

[loveandhope]

Look, I'm just saying that debts and owed favors shouldn't have to be used with people that care about you.

[whuppity]

[Nobody cares about me.] What an ideal world you live in, Ms. Blanchard, but we can't all be so lucky in our friends as you.

[Relying on others, learning to trust in them, isn't exactly his strong suit.] Can I help it if I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to get my son back? No matter the means or the cost.

[loveandhope]

You could if you tried. Sometimes people are willing to help without being tricked or persuaded into doing it.

[whuppity]

And sometimes they're ready to stab you in the back. [He has some experience in that particular area.] You'll forgive me if those aren't the sort of odds I'm prepared to bet on. [Especially when, with the right leverage, he can make it a sure thing.]

[loveandhope]

Well, if I happen to run into Neil, I'll let you know. No strings attached. [ Anything to prove that people aren't as bad as they can seem.

And to genuinely help him out (despite their history). ]

[lottawork]

Bargaining seems rather ill-advised, given the circumstances.

[whuppity]

I'll believe it when I see it, dearie. [Oh, please, Snow. Nothing comes for free, not in Rumple's world.] But if you want to prove me wrong, you can start by telling me why you're so invested.

[whuppity]

Oh, I'd hardly call it that. Bargaining suggests give and take, a mutual agreement that benefits both parties. [Rumple doesn't deal in choices if he can help it. Too often, people make the wrong one.]

What I'm suggesting is entirely the opposite. I get what I want and that's that.

[loveandhope]

[ Maybe not, but in her world, it does! She'll prove it. No magic involved, no prices to pay. Hopefully. ]

Can't I do something with just wanting to help?

[lottawork]

It's rarely ever that simple, is it? [He practically sneers it. Pleasantries are not his area of expertise. Unfortunately.] Good fucking luck managing that.

[whuppity]

You don't even like me, Ms. Blanchard. Very few people do, in fact. [It's not like he goes out of his way to give them a reason to though, is it?] I'm just having difficultly comprehending why you're so compelled to help the likes of me.

[whuppity]

Isn't it? [That's the beauty of having a bit of dark magic up your sleeve; anything's possible.] Only a fool relies on luck when you can have leverage on your side.

[loveandhope]

Because people like Neal and Belle and Henry believe in you, so maybe I should too. If you find Neal again, who knows what could happen? [ If Regina can change for the better, anybody can. Right? Maybe? ]

[lottawork]

[Well, at least on that they can agree. No such fucking thing as luck, as it were.]

And what sort of leverage could you possibly have against - them? [Accompanied with the vague, disparaging supination of a hand to indicate - whoever ostensibly delineates direction in this sort of metaspace.]

[whuppity]

[Regina wasn't born evil, she was made. Rumple, on the other hand... He can't remember a time when he might have ever considered himself a good person, even when he was a small boy.] I appreciate the sentiment. [However naive it is.] And if you help reunite me with my son, Ms. Blanchard, you'll even have my gratitude.

But that's not to say that you won't someday live to regret it.

[whuppity]

That's for me to know, I'm afraid. [He has this penchant for turning people into insects, maybe that has something to do with it?] Wouldn't be very sporting otherwise.

[lottawork]

Oh, so you're in the habit of emotional blackmail, are you?

[Classy. But then, it's not like Rush is as terribly above the notion as he seems to want people to believe.]

[whuppity]

I've made a very successful career of it, actually. You'd be surprised the things people are prepared to give away.

[lottawork]

I'm aware. I wasn't aware that such an enterprise could be sustainable as a practice for very long.

[whuppity]

It requires a certain level of dedication. [And deceit. And ruthlessness. Hardly anything to aspire to.]

[lottawork]

And an ability to evade consequence, I'd imagine.

[Now that's a mechanic Rush would be interested in implementing, if only for the sake of avoiding the exasperation of getting fucking punched all the time.]

[frozenhearted]

You? A reasonable man? Now that is funny.

[iwantadventure]

If you find your son, Rumple, I know you can make amends all on your own. I know how much you care for him. He'll see that, too.

[whuppity]

I wouldn't say that. [Oh, he's certainly had his comeuppances. Gold just has this annoying habit of not learning from his mistakes.] But the benefits often outweigh them, usually by a considerable margin.

Maybe you should give it a try.

[lottawork]

You're assuming I haven't.

[But, sadly, with the lack of dark magic to support his blackmailing efforts comes an increased probability of various unpleasant experiences such as being punched in the face.]

My grasp of cost/benefits analyses is perfectly adequate, thank you.

[whuppity]

Oh, I think so. I think that, despite the trying and difficult circumstances in which I've found myself - [None of which were of his making, of course.] - I've been extremely reasonable up to this point.

But I have to warn you, dearie, even my inexhaustible patience is beginning to wear a little thin.

[whuppity]

There's a chance. [Barely a flicker of one, just the barest possibility, one that Rumple seriously doubts he should be counting on but...] I can't abandon him when I know there's at least a chance I might see him again, no matter how small.

[iwantadventure]

This place, it's... [She smiles, shrugging a shoulder lightly.] It's like a second chance for us all.

I hope your mundane sees that.

[dreamshades]

[ Hi Rumple, did you miss him? ]

I don't think that will happen anytime soon, Laddie.

I've only just finished season 2 but...! here ya go

[baelful]

. . . I knew it. I knew you couldn't change.

[he's a little older and acquired the salt-worn clothes of a pirate, but this is still Bae. he looks as angry as he did the day you let him disappear into another world alone. more than that, though, he looks let down and hurt.

you sure you're prepared for that?]