Pointed Questions And Expected Answers

Pointed Questions And Expected Answers
Date of Scene:	24 February 2013
Location:	Traverse Town - Cloud Nine - Third Floor
Synopsis:	Isaac goes to ask Morrighan some questions. It kind of works! Kind of.
Cast of Characters:	Morrighan Alazne, Isaac Hanlon

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Isaac Hanlon has posed:
It's been a week and a half since the Fiend of Earth was summoned, and a week and a half since the rather enforced guesthood of one Morrighan Alazne. While Max has been doing his best to be friendly and compassionate to someone who apparently has no desire to be treated as such, Isaac has been occasionally checking the listening devices (technological and magical) stashed in her room and otherwise doing research.

Which has basically told him bupkis. On some worlds, a lich is a powerful undead spellcaster. On others, it's just another form of monster, though the undead thing remains the same. The one that was summoned, he has discovered, was the Fiend of Earth, though nothing agrees on what a Fiend is compared to a normal monster or an elemental or a Heartless or...

See? Bupkis.

So, he's gone to his second-to-last resort. Considering he accidentally blasted the last resort and stole away his kidnapping and torture victim, he's pretty sure that's the less reliable option for information. This is what brings him outside this particular door, on this particularly lazy Sunday afternoon. He lifts a hand, and he knocks, rapping out shave-and-a-haircut.

What? He might be some kind of kidnapper or captor or something, but he's not /that/ rude.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Yes, it's been about a week and a half since Morrighan had found herself stuffed into this single room, unable to do anything but twiddle her thumbs and occasionally throw temper tantrums. The peope of this god forsaken agency mostly left her alone, save for Max. Who for some reason must have found entertainment in dealing with her. Maybe he was just crazy.

Though she got a whole mess of visitors yesterday. Avira finally revealed to her that there was a very specific wanted poster out for her. One which detailed a list of crimes. More than half of which were completely false! That poster now lay on the table at where the dark elf was currently sitting. Having taken a book from the single shelf in the room, she thought that maybe reading would ease her boredom.

No such luck. All of these materials were boring and or inane! Nothing she usually read! "Ugh, all of these books are utterly useless!" She complained rather loudly. What? No one cared. Closing the book rather roughly, she shoved it aside before crossing her arms in a huff and pouting angrily. "I want to go outside! And I am hungry! I want to take a bath! And I have been in this dress for too long! This is plainly ridiculous! How is this not a kidnapping!?"

But then a knocking at the door came and interrupted her complaints. Who was that /now/? It better not be one of those infernal clones! or that smelly vagrant! Or that fool with the muscles! Or that idiotic gargoyle. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter was that she couldn't open the door anyhow, so she remained seated.

"Why are you knocking?" Morrighan called over to the door with a deep frown. "You know I cannot do anything about that door! Are you mocking me?"

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
"It could be," Isaac says, as he opens the door, "that I'm trying to maintain a standard of decency."

The wizard responsible for this whole mess is dressed in a white polo shirt and khaki pants and lacking his usual long coat. He adjusts his glasses and brushes a stray blue strand out of his face almost idly as he glances around the room, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He's got his tablet in his left hand, and a canvas tote in his right. He holds the latter up.

"Hi. I brought you these." He walks across the room and drops it on an empty chair. It looks like it's full of clothes. It might be unfortunate that they're generally unflattering, one-size-fits-all things like sweatpants and the like, but they look neatly folded and clean. And are apparently in women's sizes, even.

Isaac takes a moment to look Morrighan over properly. He has a slight frown on his face, and the somewhat serious expression that he occasionally adopts while he's either examining something intently or just thinking hard. Usually he reserves it for serious problems, not people locked in rooms.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Hmph, coming from the one who essentially kidnapped me. Truly a laugh!" Morrighan scoffed after the door opened, revealing Isaac to her. Oh joy. It was the genius who started this all. "Come to take your turn and try to get me to talk now?" She asked in a huff, clearly not intending to play along with this 'talking' thing.

"Do not waste your breath." And with that said, she glanced over at the bag that was dropped into a nearby empty chair. Curious, she scoot over a bit to check it. What she found were clothes. Generally unassuming, unflattering clothes of a design clearly not of her world. Sweatpants? Tshirts? All of this was foreign to her, and only caused her to frown even deeper.

They expected her to wear these? Now these were definitely mocking her!

Then again, it beat being stuck in this same ornate dress for week and more now. A deep sigh was given and then the dark elf shook her head, leaning back and leaving the bag clothes to be for now. Turning her gaze back to Isaac, she had noticed that he hadn't said anything for a bit too long to be normal now, only to find him staring. "...What are you staring at? Do you not realize that is rude!? What do you want?"

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac doesn't take the bait or respond to the scoffing and carrying on. He just sort of looks at her.

Then, the moment passes. He blinks, coming out of his intensely-focused reverie. He's still frowning. "I was taking a good look at you so I'd remember you later. Besides, I've never met an elf before." He glances at the bag, then at her. Yeah, he caught the sigh. "Yeah, they're plain and boring, and I wouldn't want to wear 'em for much more than sleeping either," he admits, "but they're better than what you've got on now. Not as flattering for someone like you, sure, but clean clothes always feel better." He shrugs, as if to say, 'your choice.'

Isaac turns to the contents of the table. He looks to the book, the poster, and then Morrighan again. The wheels are turning. He still isn't smiling. It's a distinct change from Max's usual method of operation. While Isaac can be flattering and personable, he does not particularly see the need to lay it on that thick when she's so obviously wanting to be uncooperative.

"So now that you've established that you won't say a word to me regarding whatever it is I want to know," he says, dropping his tablet into a side pant pocket and hooking his thumbs on his belt, "do you want me to start working you over with the honey or the vinegar?"

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
And here we go. First it was Max. Then Avira...partly. And then Mercade. Well, she would have talked to Max, but he didn't push. Avira...it was complicated. And Mercade? Who knew. Regardless, she just continued to frown at the man before her, offering no sort of response to his replies. Never seen an elf before? Seriously? But then again, with these worlds all mashed together...

...Nevermind.

The fact that he wasn't smiling didn't bother her in the slightest. In fact, smiles just made her all the more suspicious. People who smiled were obviously trying to get something after all. It just made her wary of them moreso than if they weren't.

As he tucks his tablet away, the dark elf simply narrowed her eyes at his question. "Honey or vinegar, you say? ...How about I go with hidden option number three and tell you to get out? How about that? Hmph!" And with that said, she crossed her arms in a huff, turning up her nose at Isaac and looking away slightly. "Your 'honey and vinegar' posturing does not impress me whatsoever!"

Not a surprising response, considering how uncooperative she'd been with all the others so far. Perhaps a bit suicidal to be so nasty to those that are essentially providing her protection from an even greater force. Not to mention bounty hunters of all shapes and sizes that would no doubt be after her, but...

...She just didn't seem to care. Maybe they'd give up and throw her out! THen she'd be free!

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
'Met,' not 'seen.' Isaac has certainly spotted them in the crowd, but he's never really spoken to one, and Morrighan is not giving him a good impression of them overall. He could have sent Max in to gather information, but decided he should probably actually talk to her instead of avoiding their captive for this long by poring over books and scrolls. What was he afraid of, anyway? Some white mage who got a little too big for her britches?

He talks like he was ignoring her outburst altogether. "Honey would be me offering to give you something in exchange for actually telling me what I want to know. I was thinking food and freedom. I don't really want to keep you here, and you don't really want to be here. I can't force you to accept our protection, or honest hospitality if it were extended. I wish I could, but I can't." For a moment, he looks honestly conflicted and even a little hurt. Vulnerable, in that way that tugs at heartstrings. He glances aside, visibly forcing the emotions off his face and recomposing himself.

"Vinegar," he says, casual again as he changes his tune, "would be threatening to take things away from you. It could be as simple as withholding clothes or meals to break down your pride until you finally caved, or just prolonging your isolation until your complaints turned into earnest cries for help. It's the closest thing to torture I think I could get Mercade and Max and everyone to allow," he adds in almost an aside. "I mean, if it had come to that --"

His eyes take on a lizard-like quality. Morrighan may get the distinct impression that he's looking at her like a piece of meat that needs a hook, not a person who needs help. "-- I'd just kill you. Nobody would ever find the body, and the problem might solve itself."

Isaac quiets for a moment. He lifts his hands, folding his arms across his chest. He stares at her for a moment longer.

"Option three..." He continues as if he'd never threatened her life. Isaac picks up the bag and deposits it on the floor next to the chair, sitting down. "...is somewhere in the middle, where you act like a civilized person and offer up the information I want in polite discussion. Then, if it checks out, I let you walk, and I don't do anything to embarrass the both of us in the process. I can tell you're way outside your comfort zone for more reasons than you care to mention, and I don't like having to come here and present these options, but -- well, you try too hard, and it makes it awfully difficult to get through to you."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"...So essentially, you are threatening my life for whatever information I may hold." Well okay, not completely threatening. He was offering completely reasonable solutions to this issue now. All she needed to do was...cooperate. But still, she didn't trust them one bit. And it probably went both ways now. And more than that, the threats had more presence than reason to her. Funny that.

Regardless, this was a conundrum. She didn't trust 'honey', 'vinegar' was far too harsh to her sensibilities, and 'option three' ...Well, it sounded the most reasonable overall, but still- "...Hmph!" Relenting just a little bit, Morrighan turned her head a bit to look at Isaac, which was a step up from turning up her nose at him. "What do you want to know so desperately anyhow?"

She didn't look entirely all that willing, but if she just gave them what they wanted, maybe they would let her go? That was a big maybe, and she was more than sure that he would just take whatever she said and then left her in here anyway, but...It was worth a shot perhaps.

It beat being killed. Though killing her now would probably prevent a lot of problems in the future, but hey! Someone would notice...probably.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Avira might notice. Isaac would assure her that, hey, maybe Morrighan took a long walk off a short pier, and he'd laugh a little, and she'd figure he was joking, and then they'd forget about it.

Yep.

"I haven't gotten to the part where I threaten you yet," he points out, shrugging a shoulder. "I figured I'd be completely honest with you and see if you were more receptive to it. I mean --" He gestures vaguely at her with one hand. "-- I could tell you that you're gorgeous, and that I've been captivated by your beauty, and yadda yadda yadda, and while this all may be true, all you're going to do is scoff and be stubborn at me. You're obviously not born nobility though you fit the dress and the attitude, and I figure you'd rather talk down to rather than be talked down to, probably because you've had the last part all your life. Am I right? Because I had enough of that shit, too."

He doesn't wait for a response. He cracks a smile, though it's a little thing. It isn't so much the expression of a man triumphant, or someone who has finally tricked his captive into cooperating or anything so drastic, but rather the one that comes from the thought that finally, maybe, just maybe, they'll get somewhere. He banishes it quickly enough, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward.

"I want to know what it is you summoned, why it was you summoned it, how you summoned it, and how to get rid of it. I'd also like to know why you were so dead-set on pissing off that asshole in the armor and then getting caught by him, because I gotta say, I approve of the first part, but not the second." Isaac pauses a second, looking thoughtful. "I don't actually expect you to answer that last one," he adds. "I just figured I'd throw it in there."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Wonderful. All these questions...." Morrighan sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course, Isaac would be correct with the previous statement he had made. She was not born nobility. At least as far as she knew now. The particulars of her birth were a huge question mark in the end, but that was not something to be touched on this day. Or any other day maybe.

His compliments however cause her to smile a bit, which may or may not reveal just how easy it would be to appeal to her on one partiular front, but she caught herself before getting too happy and went back to frowning. "Hmph! ...In any case..." The dark elf loosened her crossed arms and then crossed them again. A show of irritation, before finally starting to talk.

"What I summoned was a being known as Lich. A powerful entity known as a Fiend. At least according to my research." Pause to let the information sink in...and then continue. "As for why I summoned it, no reason at all." She smirked mockingly at Isaac then before amending her statement. "Well, perhaps no reason at all is a bit of a lie. I had a reason, but it is not something tangible."

She looked away at that, staring over at the lone bookshelf on one side of the room. Her eyes browsed the titles of books from where she sat as she continued to speak. "In regards to 'pissing off that asshole in the armor' as you eloquently put it...That was simply a side benefit. I had no idea that the site used for the summoning belonged to him now." A chuckled is given then and she turned her gaze back to Isaac. "It was not my intention to bring that fool into this, but...it just turned out that way now is all."

And with all that said, Morrighan fell silent again, letting the man before her process everything she said. In the meantime, her eyes fell upon the wanted poster again, narrowing in irritation upon reading the various nonsensical crimes listed on it.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac's observations are rarely totally off-base. He's seen people who were born to the upper crust, and none of them acted quite like Morrighan does. Sure, they had a similar stuck-up, haughty attitude, but there was something... /else/. It's hard to quantify. Mostly she doesn't seem quite as polished at putting people down as they did.

Though, more observations: flattery /will/ get him somewhere. He tucks that one away for later. She's actually being somewhat talkative now, and while he's okay with complimenting the dark elf on her generous

*cough*

magical talents, he probably shouldn't, or it'll go to her head and even less will get done. And that'd just be terrible.

Whatever it is, it does not appear to sink in. Isaac isn't from a world where 'Lich' is something that makes children stay awake at night or causes people to flee indoors whenever it's uttered. Nor does the Fiend thing. "I've read that 'Fiend' is just another word for 'monster,' which means it's synonymous with 'Heartless,' too. That thing did not look like a Heartless I've ever seen." And he saw it up close and personal. He's still got marks where it almost crushed him!! Well, on his ribs, maybe.

No reason at all? That's suspicious. "Not every reason has to be tangible," he points out. "People do crazy things for, I dunno -- pride, greed, love, lust..." His blue eyes drift back to her red, and he trails off, then makes a vague gesture with his fingers, as it willing himself back on track. "So you've gotta have /something/. I don't believe you called it up just to see if you could. You don't strike me as the type."

"Or as the /suicidal/ type," he says a moment later. "What with the armored one getting involved, that is. Sorry if you're used to more eloquence; I thought it might take longer to couch it all in sugar and fancy." He meets her gaze levelly.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Well, where I come from, Fiends are powerful entities that are above the level of mere monsters, and above even most known Espers." Morrighan sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking upwards in thought. "To put it more simply; all you need to know is that Fiends carry extraordinary powers. In fact, Baron has some of their own." Oh yes, she knew of Baron's fiends quite well. Annoying things.

"As for my reason..." The dark elf spoke slowly, closing her eyes in the process. "Call it an...experiment; if you would. By promoting chaos, the balance of the worlds is inevitably shifted, thus people will struggle their hardest in order to prevent that balance from going out of control..." Morrighan chuckled then, shaking her head slightly. "All I did was plant the seeds of chaos now. The rest is out of my control."

...Indeed. Not very tangible at all.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac makes a few mental notes. Baron has Fiends. Fiends are super monsters. Espers are already super powerful, so the idea that they're greater than they are is a little crazy. But, well, she doesn't /seem/ to be lying...

"Right. So," Isaac says slowly," you decided to experiment by putting some more chaos into the world that was already full of Heartless, demons, monsters, several other Fiends, people like the Black Wind and this Garland guy and LEXUS and who-knows-what-else, and... letting people go fight it? That's your motive? Kicking the forces of good, such as they are, in the pants?"

Isaac sighs. He rubs the bridge of his nose and mutters something under his breath. It sounds like, "It's always the hot ones."

He takes a second, and then, without looking up, asks, "And did you have any contingency plan in place to send it back in case, I dunno, it turned out to be too big to handle?" No, of course not, he thinks, she did this all spur-of-the-moment, and she's going to tell me so and then smirk or laugh at my pitiful attempts to fix it.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
That was pretty much the gist of it! "Mhmhmhm..." Morrighan just giggled at Isaac's reaction and his following question. Lowering her gaze to look at him again, she spoke calmly. "You want to stop that fiend? ...Kill him. If you can." At that, the dark elf smiled, as if she didn't ust suggest something utterly crazy.

"After all, heroes always win the day, no? It should be no problem for you people. Go out there and be the heroes you were always meant to be." OKay, now she was mocking them as a whole. But she /seemed/ to be telling the truth for the most part. All things considered anyway.

"In any case, I have answered your questions and more. Am I allowed to go now?"

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac sighs inwardly. He stands up from the chair.

"Right. The standard modus operandi. Find the big monster, track it to it's lair, have a dramatic showdown, burn it down with whatever and whoever we get there at the time..." He trails off, rolling his wrist a little and sighing again. He starts for the door. "I'll send up some food. You can go when we've verified it. Shouldn't be long, in an ideal world."

Isaac stops at the door. "Do you need anything else, while I'm here?"

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Ah yes, Isaac got the picture quickly enough. There wasn't any need for her to support his statement now. At the question of whether or not she needed anything else however, she huffed in annoyance and pointed at him. "I want to take a bath! I have been in this room for too long!"

She points harder then, if that were even possible before complaining some more. "I know you people have the facilities here!" Nevermind the fact that being allowed to use the bathroom long enough to take a bath presented the risk of her escaping now, but she didn't care about that!

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac looks thoughtful for a moment. A bath? A bath. A bath...

He nods, suddenly. "I can have that arranged. Not immediately, though. I don't want you trying to crawl out the bathroom window or something. You might know Float. But I'll make some arrangements." He smiles sunnily at her. "I'm sure I can find some chaperones." He opens the door, grinning, and slips out before she can sass him in a place he can easily respond.

Maybe he'll ask Legion.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"What do you mean not immediately!? I demand that you hurry up and--"

...He escaped.

"Hmph! Nonsense! Just wait! I will make you pay for this somehow!" Morrighan called out, likely on deaf ears. But hey, that wasn't going to stop her from complaining. Then again, not a whole lot did in the first place, so-

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
One day, Morrighan will pay Isaac back for his bath-related insolence. One day.

BUT ON THAT DAY...!!

TO BE CONTINUED