(Untitled)

[nevertrustcrows]

Lichtenstein has a cigarette in hand, for a change. A very rare indulgence, but one he is enjoying thoroughly. He takes some time to enjoy it by himself before he even considers talking to people. Eventually he taps his cigarette on the ashtray, exhales slowly, gets momentarily distracted by the diffusion of smoke, and then goes to ask his question

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[tastes_of_honey]

::People smoking nearby always make Schuldig want to smoke. It's a telepath thing.::

People do. I sure as hell do. It's entertaining, and sometimes it makes you feel better about how your own life is going.

If you're working with someone you need to be able to trust in at least a few things about them. In some cases it's that you can trust them not to have your back or not to stay with you in hard times. It's always better to know things like that in advance.

[nevertrustcrows]

Lichtenstein will feel free to look at Schuldig like he's mad. Admittedly, he looks at a lot of people that way, but less in the Nexus. "Which part is entertaining? Trying to get them to give in, or actually listening to them talk about their life?"

Here, Schuldig makes a good point. Lichtenstein nods and absently taps his bottom lip. "You need to trust in your understanding of them, then, but not necessarily in them being kind? That... sounds like a sensible way of doing things."

[tastes_of_honey]

Always the first, sometimes the second. Gossip and sadism are inescapable parts of human nature and human society.

Yeah. In some situations you need help or backup but can't find a... classically trustworthy person for it, so you take what you can get.

[nevertrustcrows]

"Then when did people stop talking behind each other's backs and start pestering them head on? I thought people found it fun because they thought they were being secretive. Terribly badly, but... trying."

"That is a very good way of dealing with it." Lichtenstein pauses, then adds, "Though I suppose you're speaking from experience, so you'd know what you're talking about."

[tastes_of_honey]

Some people enjoy confrontations and causing drama. ::"Some people," Schu?:: Others like to prove their moral superiority, especially if it makes the inferior miserable.

About two and a half decades of experience, ja.

[nevertrustcrows]

He considers this for a minute, then shakes his head. "People need better hobbies. All the time and energy wasted on something so... unproductive."

A frown. "Have you ever done anything else?"

[tastes_of_honey]

::smile:: It's a sign of an advanced society that people have time for unproductive things.

Not really. The organization that trained me sent me out on jobs when I was still in my teens. For the most part, now that I'm free of them, I enjoy the work. Besides, I have fun hobbies.

[nevertrustcrows]

He laughs, "Then clearly they aren't aware of what an 'advanced society' is."

Lichtenstein's frown deepens, but that's as far as he shows his disapproval of the whole idea of teenage hitmen. In the end, he's simply a critical observer and Schuldig has likely heard it all before. "How exactly do you go about getting 'fun hobbies' when you're distracting yourself from... a job like yours?"

[tastes_of_honey]

It beats having to hunt and gather your food and constantly fight off predators.

I actually prefer the assassination and espionage work to playing bodyguard. When you're a bodyguard you're constantly waiting for people to attack you, with everything happening on your enemies' schedule. It feels too passive to me.

I'm not On 24/7, so I have some time. Plus, I'm traveling a lot, and I enjoy new scenery and cuisines. I sometimes hunt down fun souvenirs for a friend of mine.

[nevertrustcrows]

Lichtenstein's brow shoots up in amusement. "Putting it like that I'm nearly surprised at how many places don't qualify."

"At least you have the benefit of being both so that you know how your opponents think." A smirk then. "Always hunting. Is it easy becoming a tourist when you're bound to make an enemy in the place you're staying?"

[tastes_of_honey]

Another fact of human nature. Those places I only visit, and only for really good pay.

My talent gives me a really jaundiced view of people, so I have no problem with that. I read what people are thinking, unedited. Every dark thought and emotion, including all the things they'd never think to say because they aren't socially acceptable. It affects the way I behave in all situations, not just in areas where I work.

[nevertrustcrows]

"People tend to do their own killing in places like that."

Lichtenstein takes the talk of 'dark thoughts' as a cue to nudge his cigarette butt. The stall is purely for himself, to give himself a chance to think 'don't think of anything, don'tthinkofanything,don'tthinkofanything'. "Do people still surprise you? Normally, I mean, not during work."

[tastes_of_honey]

Or the environment does. Civilization helps me make a living!

::That is so cute.:: Keep in mind that I've been able to read minds since I was about 12 or 13. People surprise me most often when they've surprised themselves.

[nevertrustcrows]

"Civilisation helps everyone who can't farm."

Trying to think about nothing... He should have swapped his cigarette for a strong drink. "It must be tiring dealing with thoughts. I have enough trouble with runaway mouths, someone else's thoughts would certainly try my patience."

[tastes_of_honey]

Farming is hard, smelly work, and thus not my thing.

::Strong drink often makes thoughts more leaky, not less.:: Shields are a very good thing, but shields rarely keep out everything. Besides, you get so used to being in the middle of thought tornadoes that total quiet can be really unsettling. Once I tried a drug that turned off my telepathy and I nearly had a breakdown from the quiet and from how nobody seemed seemed real to me anymore.

[nevertrustcrows]

"Not many people's thing."

There is a far higher chance of being able to make the idea of telepathy than there is of getting Lichtenstein not to think of more than one thing at a time. "Hm. There are poisons that prevent mages from using magic." Something that's often in the back of his mind, when he'd dealing with shady types, anyway. There must be poisons for everything. "Still, having magic is... quieter. Usually. I imagine it's much harder to catch a quiet moment. Presuming you ever look for one."