Thanks a lot, Break

[maddeninghatter]

If you get so excessively worked up, you'll botch everything - even what you're actually able to do.

USELESS! USELESS! SHE'S USELESS!

Now, now Emily. That's not nice at all~.

[ Cellophane crinkle followed by candy slurping. And noisy chomping. ]

My advice is - play to your strengths. Another character might be easier for you.

[ Unselfconsciously licking his fingertips ]

Gil, for instance...

Comments

[silent_bullet]

[......You have candy ergo you are not as bad...That or Lace just hasn't had candy in a while and wants some.]

Shouldn't you have more faith in her...?

[maddeninghatter]

[ Break grins. It's an expression something between beatific and barking mad. ]

Only fool has faith in fools.

[ He slowly unwraps another piece of candy, apparently unaware that Luce wants any. ]

What's yoooour name?

[silent_bullet]

[ Lace tried to ignore the candy, in favor of paying attention to the man's question. Huh, this seemed like an awfully familiar scenario that somebody told him when he was younger. What was it again? Oh right! He asked him for his name.]

Lace....What's yours?

[maddeninghatter]

[ Break comes across as the candy-in-the-van type. ]

Mmmmm.

[ Except if he actually had a van full of candy, he wouldn't be sharing. At this particular moment, he has managed to procure a tea biscuit. He snaps it in half. ]

Break.

[silent_bullet]

[Lace doesn't deal with people much so he wouldn't know]

It's nice to meet you....[Why you tease him Break? ]

Where are you getting the sweets from...?

[maddeninghatter]

Charmed, I'm sure.

[ Let's just say there's a line item on the Pandora operating budget called "comestibles" that poor Reim Lunettes spends an inordinate amount of time trying to justify. ]

Eh?

Did you want some?

[ STILL not offering! He pops one biscuit half in his mouth and makes yummy noises. ]

[silent_bullet]

Could I...?

[Lace likes candy ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ His eyes go suddenly wide, and his mouth forms an "o", as if he suddenly understands that Lace has been wanting the candy this whole time.

He'd been half-sprawled across a sofa; but now he sits up, on his knees. He's still got the other half of his biscuit in one hand. Making a bzzzzzzzz noise between his lips, he "airplanes" the biscuit to and fro, up and down, and back and forth, finally homing in on Lace's mouth--

and then he jerks the biscuit away at the last minute, eating it himself! ]

LET SILLY BOYS GET THEIR OWN CANDY HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[ This high-pitched voice is coming from "Emily", the puppet perched on Break's shoulder. ]

[silent_bullet]

......Tease....

[Lace pouted when Break ate the biscuit. Why would you do that to him! He's like a puppy.]

Ah....[STARING AT THE DOLL]

.....Why are you yelling...? [Did he say something weird?]

[maddeninghatter]

[ Break has his own puppy, it's called "Gil," it's super-fun to tease. ]

Oh~! I must apologize for Emily, she's so ill-mannered, such a bad girl, she is!

[ And Break is going to take advantage of your distraction and lob a cellophane-wrapped candy directly at your forehead, Lace. ]

EMILY! If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times - food is not for throwing!

[silent_bullet]

[Lace has good reflexes Break, his hand shooting up to catch the candy. At least he has his candy.

He watches Break with slight amusement as he speaks with his doll.]

......Are you lonely...? [Since normal people don't talk to dolls like they're human....He's pretty sure Emily's a doll.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ Bullseye! ]

Brat.

[ Break flops back, crossing his legs and balancing them on the back of the sofa. He crosses his arms, too; his long sleeves cover his hands. He gazes at Lace beadily. ]

You're a real brat, aren't you?

[ But there's no real malice in his tone. He sounds more like a petulant child who's been told to stop playing, and go back to his studies. ]

[silent_bullet]

[So bite him.]

Am I? I was just asking...[He sighs softly.]

I didn't think grown men liked talking to dolls....

[maddeninghatter]

[ Biting is Alice's bailiwick. ]

Aha~!

[ The smile is back. ]

I wouldn't know anything about that. Say - you're almost a grown man.

Whom do ~you~ like talking to?

[silent_bullet]

[Is that a trick question?]

People.....Sometimes....

[He's more of a stalker....Even if his definition of stalking says other wise.]

Though not my superiors...They're mean to me...[They always hit him when he asks something.]

[maddeninghatter]

Who are your superiors? And why are they "mean" to you?

[ Break's tone has changed. It's keen; alert. ]

[silent_bullet]

Why are you interested?

[ He didn't think before speaking, but he can't just hide that. It would be too suspicious....But he can't tell him he's part of an organization that kill human experiments.]

[maddeninghatter]

Because I'm looooooonely~!

[ Time for more candy. This time it's a big swirly lollipop, which he sucks on noisily. ]

[silent_bullet]

Why would telling you about my superiors being mean help?

[maddeninghatter]

[ Calculating...

People typically prattle on about themselves ad nauseum if you indicate the slightest shred of interest.

People who don't - particularly people as artless as this boy - usually have something to hide... ]

It might help me. Or - it might help you.

We might help each other.

[silent_bullet]

......I don't need help. It's normal for them to look down upon me.

[ that and he would have no reason to exist anymore....]

[maddeninghatter]

Might be normal.

[ Carelessly licks his fingertips. ]

But is it what you want?

[silent_bullet]

......I want.....?

[ No one has ever asked Lace what he wanted. He never spoke up though. It would be nice to be treated a tiny bit better.]

What can you do to make them stop hitting me...?

[maddeninghatter]

A great many things.

[ Heh heh heh heh heh ]

But it might be helpful to know why they're hitting you.

[silent_bullet]

If I make a mistake or if they feel I'm out of line....Though I usually seem to do something wrong when they get upset.

But it would only get worse if I tell you something I'm not supposed to.

[flustered_hare]

[Reim sighs and adjusts his glasses.]

You really should not suggest others to muns, Xerxes. You're asking to put them into danger.

[maddeninghatter]

Me? Put people in danger?

[ Break waves, his floppy sleeve flapping. ]

I never!

[flustered_hare]

[Now he's cleaning his glasses. Squeak, squeak.]

Please don't get others into trouble.

[maddeninghatter]

Do they pay you to worry? Because you--

[ On account of the evil, awful canon point his mun is pulling him from, Break stops short. He'd been sitting half-sprawled across the arm of the sofa, apparently carefree. Now he draws his arms and legs in, crossing them. ]

...

People shouldn't put themselves into trouble. Even if they want to help.

Sorry for the delay. On a tag fail.

[flustered_hare]

[Reim knows what's going on here. His hand stops cleaning. After a moment, he sighs and puts on his glasses, fidgeting a little.]

Xerxes, it was not suppose to happen like that.

no worries

[maddeninghatter]

No.

[ He sounds, for all the world, like a petulant child. ]

Because you had no business being there in the first place, you should have been at Pandora, catching up on my paperwork.

[ He curls up. His chin sinks down, resting upon his knees. ]

...

Idiot.

You spoiled all my plans.

[flustered_hare]

I was...!

[Reim stopped mid-sentence. No, he can't get too emotional here. He'll say things he'll regret. After a second, he sighed.]

I was looking out for you. If you had not been so stubborn in not telling anyone of your condition, perhaps I would have stayed behind.

[maddeninghatter]

I didn't ask for your help!

I had complete control of the situation!

[ Of course he hadn't. There had been too many variables, too many threads, too many things distracting him.

And - he'd failed. Liam was dead. This person he's talking to right now is some spectre of his conscience, no doubt, chastising him. ]

I don't--

[ He doesn't care. Nothing matters anymore. It's over: his wasted, futile life. ]

I'm sorry.

I'm tentatively thinking about reserving Reim when their reserves open at SP.

[flustered_hare]

[Reim thinks quietly to himself for a moment, letting the words hit him. Break never apologized. When he did, the person truly deserved it. Had it only been because Reim got hurt, or was he missing more information here.]

Xerxes... you do not need to apologize. Perhaps I should not have rushed in like I did.

that's great!

[maddeninghatter]

You'd deny me even that?

[ Xerxes Break never apologizes because Xerxes Break never feels pointless emotions like guilt or regret. Other people don't matter, beyond their usefulness to him.

The carefully created persona that is Xerxes Break would never rush headlong into danger; nor passionately sacrifice himself to avenge a friend.

No. It's Kevin who is apologizing. ]

Shut up! I'll say what I like!

:3

[flustered_hare]

[Reim grew quiet again. Deny him? What was he talking about?]

Xerxes... is there something you're not telling me?

[maddeninghatter]

You know it already.

[ Break's fingers fumble at his jacket pocket. He produces a piece of cellophane-wrapped hard candy. ]

Won't be long until I join you.

[ He bites down on it, noisily. CRUNCH! ]

You must save me some cake!

[flustered_hare]

Join...

[Reim paused, watching Break for a moment before it hit him. Did Xerxes think he died back there? It was possible. Though he could have sworn he spotted Xerxes once he awoke. Was that a dream?]

Xerxes, I didn't die.

[maddeninghatter]

...What?

But... I saw...

[ What he'd seen was in his mind's eye: imagined horror. ]

I called. You didn't answer. The Baskervilles said...

[flustered_hare]

[Pause.]

That was my chain. The March Hare's ability gives the impression that I died. The effect is not timed.

[Pause. He looks away.]

Master Rufus asked me not to tell anyone. He didn't want others to know of the ability, in case something happened while I was collecting information.

[maddeninghatter]

I...

You...

So you're not...

[flustered_hare]

No, I'm alive.

I'm sorry I could not tell you sooner. Perhaps now you won't have to worry about me joining you on the field any longer. Now that the ability is out in the open, I should spend my time at Pandora instead.

[maddeninghatter]

I'm...

I'm glad.

[ He smiles: one of his rare smiles, from the heart. ]

We'll have tea and sweets together, at Pandora. Everything will be as it was.

[flustered_hare]

[Reim can't help but smile a little in return. He was almost expecting him to be mad.]

Of course. [Pause.] Though I would prefer you didn't leave candy in my office.

[Adjusting glasses.]