Ex-Gauge [3%] - Action

[devil_reborn]

[Another scream, another kidnapping and another groan from Nero. He rolled onto his back on the bed, threw an arm over his face and swore vehemently.]

...Malnosso slumber party and I didn't even get an invitation. Least you could do is let me fucking sleep.

[It was a lost cause. Even when the journal grew quiet it just gave him more time to think

Comments

[invidia_keeper]

[Naoya is standing in the background leaning up against a tree, curiously watching Nero. He makes no effort to hide himself, but it did seem a little odd that he would be there.

He keeps a safe distance.]

It's never quiet here, is it.

[devil_reborn]

[Nero was starting to become uncomfortably familiar with the feeling of eyes staring. He finished decimating a tree and brought Red Queen down in a vicious swing toward another, severing it from the roots and leaving the trunk to careen backwards and land near his newest audience member.

Nero was all for introductions but first the stranger had to earn them.]

Enjoying the show?...I'm here all week if you want an encore.

[invidia_keeper]

Bravo.

Is this what you do for fun?

[ It certainly was odd that Naoya didn't appear surprised by the decimation of the tree in the slightest, if anything he just grinned.]

[devil_reborn]

[Nero answered in kind, smirking in his devil may care way. Sure, he'd noticed the guy hadn't flinched at having a tree uprooted and nearly crush him but that just made him interesting. Besides, odd and Luceti went hand in hand and he'd begun to question it less than he probably should have. Insomnia didn't help his judgment either.]

This is what I do for sleep. What I do for fun involves a lot more corpses.

What about you? Is peeping what you do for fun?

[invidia_keeper]

I like to observe people. Call it a hobby if nothing else, it's a habit I've picked up over the years.

You don't need sleep then?

[ Naoya continued to watch him carefully, smile only growing at seeing Nero's own. Perhaps there were some interesting people here after all.]

[devil_reborn]

Need and want are two different things.

[Nero wandered over toward the fallen tree and fell heavily on it, stretching a bit to work out the kinks.]

It's hard to sleep when your personal nanny keeps waking you up to tell you the Malnosso are going trick or treating and the candy is annoyingly loud.

[Nero leaned forward, eyebrow raised in amusement.]

But I figure, if they can have fun, so can I.

[invidia_keeper]

Indeed.

Personal Nanny?
[ Naoya walked over to a nearby tree closer to Nero and sat under it, folded in a perfect seiza position.]

It's only fair for everyone to have fun.

[devil_reborn]

Tch...those shitty journals the people here use to peep on each other. Bad enough you gotta give a show, you can't even use the mute button when someone else is fucking theirs up.

[Nero turned to Naoya, noticing how very proper he looked even when sitting casually and wasn't surprised. The guy moved and spoke with an educated air that made Nero feel like the street urchin he was. But if the guy was looking for better company, he'd get a reality check soon enough.]

[snort] You'd think so wouldn't you? But I'm starting to get the feeling the Malnosso have a jacked up sense of fair play.

[invidia_keeper]

They're quite useful for information probing. The encryption on them is laughable.

[Naoya was used to dealing with people of any sort, so Nero's demeanor didn't startle him too much.]

Of course. [ A sadistic grin] What's fair is fair. Everyone deserves a share.

Why's that?

[devil_reborn]

[Nero shrugged.] That don't mean much to me. Tech stuff ain't my strong suit so I get information the old fashioned way. [He made a fist with his demonic arm, flexing his fingers to work out the kinks from training.] Work to my strengths you know?

[He placed his hands on the sturdy bark and leaned back, staring at the blue sky and wondering if it was like a two way mirror and the Malnosso could see him from other side. He resisted the urge to flip them the bird.]

You think throwing a bunch of people in enemy territory with nothing but a book and a doctors checkup to look forward to is fair?

[invidia_keeper]

That is logical, yes.

[Naoya looked over curiously at his arm as he flexed it, seeming to inspect it.]

No, it's not. A game is neither fun nor fair if the participants are given unequal footing from the start. How the game develops after that however, is completely different.

[ He paused, moving a stray piece of grey hair out of his face.]

Do you have any plans for revenge against them?

[devil_reborn]

How the game develops? [Nero chuckled, giving Naoya a sideways glance.] Root for the underdog then 'cause I plan to level the playing field, handicap or no.

[He turned back toward the sky, observing the clouds for lack of anything better to focus on.]

Sorry, I'm not the planning type. I got nothing more complicated than putting a hole through their heads to let some of that hot air out. They're not making it easy with the barrier though. But I figure I make enough noise and I'll manage to make it on their guest list and get some real 'quality time' going.