victory_road | ANOMALY DETECTED

Good thing Geddoe's still in the habit of wearing tall, sturdy boots. That Meowth can certainly try to go for his ankles!

Still, when Geddoe found the castle here and found it empty, he certainly wasn't expecting to find anyone else. He probably should have, given that it's apparently one of those 'weird weekends', but even he can't think of everything. He does, however, raise an eyebrow at the demand made when he steps into the room.

"... Which one?"

There's a lot of books, she has to be more specific! Also, Geddoe happens to have what's more or less his world's equivalent of a lightning god embedded in his gloved right hand. Just the sort of thing that someone with really high magical senses might possibly pick up on.

Edited 2022-11-26 21:14 (UTC)

[Yeah. Misaki's head snaps up the second Geddoe speaks, and she turns to look at him.

Possibly also because, yes, the meowth is trying to chew through his boot. She grimaces a bit.]

...Gremlin, you're going to break your teeth. Stop that.

[But as to the original question--] Red cover with the embossed lettering, if you will.

[Once he brings it to her, she can get a look at that hand.]

[ooc: hi! I'm sticking to action tags due to some bad arthritis this weekend, please feel free to tag however is most comfortable to you, though!]

Gremlin, huh? That's actually kind of amusing, though Geddoe keeps that thought to himself. It's just that he happens to know a guy with a rat Pokemon by that name, and here's a cat named the same.

He does grab the book in question though, because why not? But if she's hoping to get a good look at his hand, well, he's wearing gloves. They can't hide the sheer latent magical power underneath, but it definitely would make it hard to get a visual.

"Trying to find something in particular?"

[She grabbed his wrist, actually. If his hand reacts to other power--she is contracted to something dark.]

I was hoping to find more information about this world...but this building doesn't seem to be native, either.

Now that's a downright audacious move. So much so that Geddoe actually isn't prepared to stop her from doing it. He is, however, very quick to react, because that is very much Not Okay.

So rather than responding to her remark, his left hand is now grabbing her wrist, while he gives a sharp twist and pull with his right to break free. Fist closed so that he doesn't lose the glove in the process. And while none of his motions are deliberately cruel or intended to hurt, he's not making any extra effort to be gentle, either.

"Don't."

His expression and tone are dead serious; there's people out there who'd happily kill him to get their hands on that rune, so he treats any attempt on it as a potentially deadly threat. Luckily, True Lightning itself doesn't seem perturbed: it doubtless senses the presence of another power, but doesn't do more than merely stir. A fact that Geddoe notices, even if he doesn't visibly acknowledge it.

Which is all to say, this lady has exactly one chance to attempt to explain herself before Geddoe considers her hostile and dangerous. Better make it good!

Ohh, touchy!

[Misaki, the dumbest genius, with not even the self-preservation instinct any god ever gave a goldfish, laughs. She is skilled enough to twist her hand free from his, and if he hurt her she doesn't indicate it, but her right eye is glowing a little, from the sigil inscribed into her literal pupil.]

I suppose that's to be expected, from someone wearing Lightning on your skin...of course you'd bite. If you're worried about curiosity, you should really do something to mask the power instead of just wearing gloves.

Geddoe, simply glowers at her. He's not going for a weapon just yet, but he's definitely poised to react if need be. So far it sounds like she might just be an overly curious fool, but he hasn't lived as long as he has by taking chances.

Really though, were he not so on edge, he would have been sorely tempted to roll his eye at that comment.

"I hadn't noticed," he says with frigid, deadpan sarcasm. "And unless you're looking for trouble, you might try asking."

Looking for trouble?

[She laughs again, harsher and more akin to a cackle. Her shadows grow long and too unnaturally dark to be normal.]

My dear, I married trouble.

On the one hand, she's clearly a bit crazy, which means there's likely to be little actual ill intent. On the other hand, she's clearly a bit crazy and that in itself can make her dangerous in other ways. Especially if she's powerful in her own right.

"Then you can keep it to yourself," he says curtly. He's naturally wary and already considering ways out of here if things turn unpleasant, of course, but he's not exactly easily intimated.

Oh, but there's no learning about anything that way?

[She laughs a bit more, but if he's not attacking she sees no need to defend herself either, so the elongating shadows cease.]

I admit the temporo-spacial distortions are more interesting than the magic you grafted to your hand, but answers about the latter seem like they'll be more readily available.

Geddoe just crosses his arms, glowering with his one good eye.

"Not like that they won't."

He can tell by her choice of words and phrasing that she must clearly not be from his world. She doesn't know what a True Rune actually is, nor apparently why a runebearer would take such a brazen attempt to 'examine' it as an attack. Which doesn't make it any less rude, of course, but still.

So defensive...

[She huffs a bit, but she does have the dignity not to pout. Outwardly.]

Rude. Shouldn't you humor your elders?

[...Elder? Madam you stopped aging in your 30s.]

Given that Geddoe's a good seven decades or so older than he looks, that's a good one, yeah.

"No."

Blunt and to the point. He's not feeling inclined to be diplomatic just now.

"Shouldn't you ask instead of attacking someone?"

Because yes, grabbing at his hand with no warning like that arguably is an attack.

Does 'just asking' work out for you?

[She is skeptical of any approach that relies on the generosity and goodwill of others, inherently.]

"It's usually better than leading with force, yes."

Who said anything about goodwill? Geddoe simply sees value in keeping negotiations civil, for quite a few reasons. Even if he sure looks more the type who's well-acquainted with negotiations at swordpoint.

"A lot less risky, too."

That's not a threat, but it is a warning. He won't hesitate to defend himself if it seems necessary.

"Less risky" is an illusion I don't have the time to bother with.

[She snorts a bit. She doesn't believe in the manners of others. Can't be surprised if you're always ready to fight.]

This wasn't really what I'd have called force.

Geddoe is frankly not even going to dignify that first part with a reply. It's really not worth the bother with such egotistical types. Especially those who lack the perception--or desire to make the effort--to assess a situation before diving in.

"Then that just means you jumped into something without having a clue what you were doing or dealing with. Keep that up and of course no one would be willing to talk reasonably."

He has to treat any unexpected attempt to get at True Lightning as an attempt on his life. Because ordinarily, that's precisely what it is, in effect. He wouldn't fault a stranger for not knowing what the rune is, but acting so carelessly? Yeah, that had been entirely uncalled for and unnecessary, and the whole 'I did nothing wrong' attitude sure isn't endearing him.

[Unfortunately, Misaki is a shitty cat to the depths of her soul, and while she's noticed Geddoe's displeasure she...doesn't actually care.]

The same could be said of you, couldn't it? You don't know who I am, or anything about my capabilities--I'd wager I know more about yours than you do about mine. Your reaction gives much and more away about that thing on your hand.

[She snorts, but she's already starting to turn her attention back to the books.]

Subtlety was never any concern of mine, but you could stand to learn to lie about how important things are to you.

If she was intending to get some sort of reaction out of Geddoe, well, she entirely missed the mark. In fact, he's not even going to bother correcting certain false assumptions; it works in his favor to have an obviously unfriendly--if at least not openly hostile--person misjudge him, after all.

"..... If you say so."

And with that he's turning to leave, not interested in further wasting his time. She's been warned he won't tolerate any more attempted aggression, even if he didn't quite say it in so many words. Though he's still highly on alert in case she tries something, of course. One advantage (if it can even be called that...) to having a blind side is learning to compensate with other senses, and Geddoe's paying close attention for any sign of potential pursuit.

ANOMALY DETECTED

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i am so sorry about her

it's fine Geddoe's overdue for some excitement :D

she is just the Worst

so long as she's not a sadist causing wars for shits and giggles it should be fine. probably.

w e l l about that...

oh dear, is Geddoe's extremely short list of "problems to put down" going to have to get longer?

in her defense that apocalypse was already happening without her?

depends on whether she made it worse on purpose for her own amusement, really...

no that would have been her father

well that's certainly a role model

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in which Geddoe finally opts for the most sensible course of action.... XD