[CLOSED] one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan

[interstellarnpcs]

Who: Edward Blanche and Greg. And possibly also Meril.
What: Blanche is sick of Greg's shit.
When: Directly following Sans's rescue.
Where: In the Torture Lounge.
Warnings: Weird stuff. Spiritual violence. Creepy touches no doubt.

After being picked up in the laboratories downstairs, Greg will be left in the same room him and Blanche had their last pressing talk. No one else is there, and he is instructed by Juno to sit and not move until someone comes to speak with him. He is clearly in trouble.

Who is coming to talk to him hasn't been outright stated, but it can be easily assumed. Juno will impatiently state that she has a mess to go clean up and will leave him to his own devices.

A full hour will pass before anyone comes to speak with him.

Comments

[panspermia]

None of this is how Greg thought today would go. He just wanted to buy some flowers, work on his next album. Maybe play some video games with his girlfriend. He could never have predicted he'd get caught up in a foolish, reckless, wild rescue attempt.

He never thought he'd get to see Sans out alive.

That's the thought that steels him. Greg sits and waits, braced against his fear. Something terrible is about to happen to him soon. After seeing what they did to Sans, he has no doubt of that. After seeing what they did to Sans, he has no regrets, either.

......Well, getting caught. He regrets getting caught. His hands are shaking, but his expression is set.

[interstellarnpcs]

The first Greg will notice of Blanche's presence in the pressing of a single piano key from the other side of the room. There's a grand piano set up there, which Greg has never seen used, but now Blanche is standing before it, pressing that single key and letting the note ring throughout the room.

With slow, thoughtful movements, he plays a brief, single-handed melody. He stops, and for a moment they linger in silence.

"I think it's become clear that our deal is off."

[panspermia]

The silence continues for a bit. Greg's not sure if he's supposed to be scared or insulted. Maybe both. He's pretty sure it's both. He's certainly feeling both. All their deal has given him is grief and paranoia and training in abilities he never wanted.

"Yeah," he finally says. "I sorta figured."

It takes effort, but he does a great job keeping his voice from shaking.

[interstellarnpcs]

"I hope you appreciate the gravity of the damage done to our side by his actions."

He vanishes and reappears before Greg, looming over him, his hands crossed behind his back.

"That damage is now partially your responsibility."

[panspermia]

There's something to be said for knowing multiple people who can teleport. The action just starts to lose some of its intimidation factor after a while. Then again, it's hardly the thing that makes this man the most frightening.

Greg swallows hard, hands clasped tight in his lap.

"Yeah."

[interstellarnpcs]

There's a pause, Blanche looking him over, his stare strangely blank and inhuman.

"Is that really all you have to say?"

[panspermia]

Greg thinks about it. He thinks really hard. He has a lot of things he'd like to say. Things he'd like to share with someone who's rational, and wants to reach a suitable agreement, and capable of feeling compassion. And he really, truly would like to believe that somewhere, deep down, that person exists within Edward Blanche. But the truth is, he doesn't have the time to find out.

"Do you have a bathroom I can use?"

He has been trying not to piss himself pretty much since meeting Papyrus two hours ago.

[interstellarnpcs]

Blanche stares at him for a moment - and then stares at him for a moment longer. Finally, he leans back, and calmly gestures to the far side of the room.

"That hallway, to the left."

[panspermia]

"Thanks."

Greg bolts for it.

Look, as much trouble as he's in, he does not want to wet himself in front of the man who's likely going to kill him.

[interstellarnpcs]

Blanche will very politely wait for Greg to return from the restroom, monitoring his location in the back of his mind to ensure that this isn't leading to any nonsense.

Greg had better wash his hands.

[panspermia]

Thoughts of using the opportunity for nonsense do occur. None make it far; Greg's caused all the trouble he's likely to get away with today, and was lucky enough for that. Dutifully, Greg returns, wiping his hands on his pants.

He did wash them, at least.

"All right. Thanks for understanding."

[interstellarnpcs]

Humans are fucking terrible.

Blanche, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have moved at all since Greg left, still standing exactly where Greg left him in pretty much the same position. He looks up to follow Greg with his eyes, but that's it.

"You'll want to sit down for this."

[panspermia]

Greg stands still for a moment, watching his boss. The man who tortured his friends, tampered with his mind, used his son against him. Greg looks at him, and feels very old, and very tired, and very afraid.

He shrugs, sighing, and goes to sit. No point in being obtuse. "You always know what I want, boss."

[nibelungvalesti]

Night, and Greg hadn't returned to the penthouse. Maybe under normal circumstances Meril would not have worried... but something nagged at her, scratching at the back of her mind, until to at last placate it she rose from her seat and drifted out the door to go looking.

Her first thought was that he might have gotten distracted in the basement, where so many oddities had happened... so the elevator took her there in short order, disgorging her to search.

[interstellarnpcs]

She never really gets the chance. The basement is traditionally off limits as it is, and she'll feel herself be pulled through time-space before she ever gets to the point of hitting security. She happens to be on a certain nebulae's mind.

However, he won't be the one facing her immediately. Instead, when Meril finds herself abruptly in the lounge, the only person there will be Greg, seemingly alone. Ostensibly what she wanted, but surely not the way she wanted it.

[panspermia]

For all appearances Mr. Universe is entirely unhurt. He slouches in waiting, impatience clear in his posture.

Meril's arrival pulls little reaction out of him. One brow raises, and he looks her up and down. Weird. He knows they had a thing going, but looking at her now... all he feels is an amused curiosity. Trouble's about to go down, but he's not in it. (...right?)

"You've been getting in trouble again."

[nibelungvalesti]

Wait, what just happened? One moment she was -- and then --

Meril lifted a hand to her forehead, trying to stave off the beginnings of lightheadedness or a headache, she couldn't tell which.

"I? I have not, you know that..."

Which was true. They had both been very good lately, going along with the whole TV show and everything. What could he possibly mean?

[panspermia]

Ahh, teleportation confusion. Now he gets why so many people liked to tease him with it. It's pretty funny on the outside.

He shrugs, broadly. "You're here. That means you've gotten in trouble."

Then what is he doing here, she may wonder? He sure doesn't seem concerned on that point.

[nibelungvalesti]

"Then it is unjustified trouble." She frowned, though not at him -- not yet. "Unless looking for you is a crime now, and the day has not come when I will stop worrying about you."

[panspermia]

"I wonder," he murmurs, looking off. "You don't have to look for me. I'm fine."

[nibelungvalesti]

"...I would ask if you were coming back tonight, but considering our location, I am not certain I can say I am." Meril appraised the room again, wondering just what she was doing here and how in Asagard they WERE supposed to get back to their penthouse. "What IS going on?"

[panspermia]

"I think he's about done with me." He watches her, very carefully. "But you're taking this all in stride. You sure you didn't see this coming, huh?"

[nibelungvalesti]

"Things are so consistently weird around here, my capacity to be surprised is damaged." She frowned slightly at his tone, and his implication. "But I maintain there is no reason for it!"

[panspermia]

"So, what, you're gonna explain that to him?" He spreads his arms, a mocking laugh audible in his words. "'Oh, Mister Blanche sir, you've made a mistake, you brought me to your secret lair for no reason at all!' How you think that's gonna fly, hmm?"

[interstellarnpcs]

"Not well, I imagine."

Blanche has quite literally appeared as Greg finishes speaking, looking at Meril with clearly malevolent interest. She hasn't noticed the different immediately, it seems. As much as he'd have enjoyed seeing this go on a bit longer, he has things to do.