[IC Contact -- Snowblind]

[bookofnope]

[There is a click noise. It sounds as though it might be judging you.]

Comments

[bookofnope]

[By contrast, Beckett's thoughtful silence is very much that - silence, stillness. Worry battling aversion to... everything about this.]

Call me a pessimist, but such disappearances do have a very easy explanation.

[His voice is flat, detached. He doesn't know if Zell, or anyone really, knows how much he cares for Angel. He would honestly prefer to keep it that way.]

[bookofnope]

Not enough.

[If it were this easy, there'd be no point in asking for a guarantee at all.]

You do not trust easily. Neither do I. How do I know that you'll keep any promises you make?

[0thingsonmymind]

what doyou want
for proof?

[swatsflies]

[Zell needs to gain the detached skills.]

Yeah, which is why I'm checking with people first. Man, I HOPE they didn't die...[Seriously, they already had spiders playing operation. They do not need to wake up in a body bag on top of that... if they even wake up.]

Look, I'm only talking to you because she thinks you're really great. [And not a creepy blood-sucker like everyone else thinks.]

[bookofnope]

Hoping one way or another is pointless. We'll know when the obituaries go up.

[You should try this resignation thing, Zell. It's good for you. It beats worry.]

And she does not, apparently, think I'm great enough to respond to just at the moment.

[bookofnope]

You may have to tell me. What would make you consider someone trustworthy? I'm under no illusions of being on the list at the moment.

[0thingsonmymind]

*Aside from the other person here who's brain has been scrambled like his, he doesn't really trust anyone...but there are some things that could make a break a relationship, he supposes.*

not a LIAR
helps, not hurts
helps cor rec tly

*Unlike Tim and Jay who can't always be trusted to do things correctly no matter how plainly he puts it.*

under stands
doesnot try to
fix
what isnot brok en

*Like him. He is not sick :|*

not a L I A R

*He knows he said that already but its a really important thing, damnit.*

[swatsflies]

[Can't stop. Won't stop.]

Don't take it personally, man. She hasn't been responding to anyone.

[Not even going to touch the obits part.]

[headjacked]

That's what people do when they're stuck in a new, awful situation, right? Grab onto anything familiar. Better than being clueless and hopeless.

Back home, you could explain anything weird with a shrug and 'a Vault did it'. So. Yeah.

[bookofnope]

[Actually, Beckett thinks, this is pretty clear. If years of working in vampire circles have taught him anything, it is how to negotiate such things. How to work out arrangements he can trust.]

The only thing I wish to fix is our lack of knowledge. There are answers here. I will find them. What you, or anyone else, does with these answers is your own choice. You know better than I what you need.

[Read: He definitely does not consider Brian broken, and had never been interested in fixing anyone, anyway.]

But I expect you also not to be a liar. If you promise me that you will abide by my requests, I expect you to keep that promise. Just as I will do for you.

[bookofnope]

Personally? Of course not. [Don't be ridiculous. He has no feelings here. None whatsoever.]

But I do hope that, if she is hiding from Jack, she is not feeling as though contact with anyone else could be dangerous.

[bookofnope]

That sounds like a terribly inadequate explanation. ["Magic did it" is possibly Beckett's number #2 most hated phrase in the English language, right after "you aren't meant to know." Or possibly "you are now mortal and trapped in a snowy hell."]

Does this mean that you support the theory, or that you consider it impossible to properly prove, considering the sheer range of Vault abilities?

[0thingsonmymind]

yes, iknow
others do not

*That's...kind of a "thank you for respecting that."*

iam NOT a liar

*Unless it's really, really important. And that doesn't include leaving out things.*

iwill not
say tell re ve al

but
ifyou ask
un reason able
imay not
do

*Granted his 'unreasonable' is not anyone else's, but he's not going to put himself in too much danger or jeopardize his goals (not that he expects that one to happen) for this.*

[bookofnope]

Humans are always quick to assume that what they do not understand is somehow wrong.

[Brian is, in theory, human. But Beckett places him firmly on his side of the world. The one humans don't belong in.]

Would you consider it unreasonable if I were to name certain people as my allies, and condition further information on your promise that you do them no harm, whatever you might stand to gain from it?

[If that is the best bargain he can strike, he's willing to take it. On his side of the world, this is often how things work.]

[0thingsonmymind]

yes, theyare

idonot harm un less i must

*But Alex is gone and Beckett knows his issue with Clayton...so it should be okay. He'll make no promises about defending himself if attacked, but no reason to bring that up now.*

iwill prom ise that
who
?

[bookofnope]

Angel. Rhys, since she appears to own him. Steve. Rydia. The good Doctor Hotstud.

[It's a short list. Beckett has never had a particularly broad social circle. He would stop here, but perhaps it's worth a try...]

I know your feelings about Clayton Epps. But I owe him a great debt, and would owe you the same if you would agree to leave him out of this matter, at least.

[0thingsonmymind]

*Hm. He doesn't really have opinions on many of those people. Doctor Hotstud is an ass but so far there hasn't been a reason to do more than just avoid him.
Clayton, well...he can't be rid of the man so all he can do is avoid him (and try to keep others from being fooled by him as well).*

they the first five are fine.

idonot want to deal with doc tor clay ton epps
iwill avoid ifcan
unless hewill hurt oth ers

*See, he's really just trying to help people here. He's totally the good guy in this.*

[bookofnope]

[That is, indeed, the best Beckett truly hoped to achieve, and he is content with it. There is only so much he can lure Brian with. There is only so much he wants to ask of this man whom he wishes to also consider an ally.]

In this case, my thinking is this: NIMA is related to medical treatment. We have seen in the past that the Admin responds to calls for aid in certain medical emergencies, and the response demonstrates certain abilities.

It may be possible to bait the Admin's agents by generating a medical emergency, perhaps of the kind that has attracted them before. They're very set on keeping us from seeing them, but if we are prepared, we might be able to arrange to catch them in the act.

[0thingsonmymind]

soyou want to
cre ate
a medical emer gen cy?

that iswhy doc tors
?

*Hm...its not a bad idea, honestly. He's not sure the best way to go about it, but it sounds like Beckett has a plan in the works.*

how

[bookofnope]

If we can do so, yes. The doctors should come in handy in this case. "Hotstud" even seems the type to cooperate with such a plan.

[Definitely not Clayton. Let's leave him out of this for everyone's health.]

How might depend on what you or I are willing to volunteer for. Epps received help when amputating his own toes. This may be a little extreme, but it would not be an emergency if there was no substantial risk of death.

[0thingsonmymind]

thereis another doc tor thatmight help
@dissect dr stitches

wecould some one else, too
but ido not
know
what injury would work best
out side does not

*Amputating was...removing body parts? He supposes they could try that again. Or something life threatening...Hmmm.
Too bad the person he'd prefer to experiment with this on was still dead. He'd have to find someone else.*

[bookofnope]

I did observe that @dissect is willing to go to lengths the others might not be. If you've found the same, I am happy to involve him.

[Some time passes before the next response, while he thinks their options over. A physical risk that he is willing to take himself, under a controlled environment, which would ideally not involve losing any body parts...

Actually...]

A while ago, I was in a house where exploration was stalled due to the basement being flooded with ice water. I suspect that diving there ofr a better look should involve considerable physical danger.

I'd be willing to try it.

[0thingsonmymind]

yes, ithink he would

*He seemed all about cutting people up that one time.
...Really? Beckett wants to do this himself? That seems pretty stupid...but as long as it's not him getting hurt he'll let the crazy vampire do his thing.*

o kay
where when?

[bookofnope]

[Doing things himself is always the first choice. Faster, easier, minimal social interaction.]

The house is to the immediate north of the school, near the western corner. Walking east from the park area, you should find it easy.

I can't say when yet. My companions and I have a project in the works. [Namely gravedigging, but at the moment mostly just getting over smokeflu.] But I will keep in touch.

[0thingsonmymind]

*He's never been to the park, but he figures he should be able to find it based on where it is in relation to the school.*

okay
itwill take
time
to get there

tellme when youare rea dy