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[He's back in the music hall. Listen, he's got fond memories of the music hall, even if he's still pretty mad that Balthier jacked up his piano in the name of revenge. That's what he's working on at the moment, but-- really, it's probably not going to play again anytime soon. Oh well. There are some electric keyboards here, but it's not the same as a piano, okay.]

[He works because it's soothing. He likes to work with his hands. Keeps his mind busy, and belies that he is actually a teensy bit nervous about the list business. But he'll never let them see him sweat. He's a goddamn supervillain.]

Let's cut to the chase.

Yes. Theres a list and certain people are on it. No, it's not complete. No, we don't know who else is on it. Yes, a lot of people are wetting their jumpsuits over it and what it might mean. Personally, I think were it not ranked by our little prison codes [he taps his arm] I would be at the top, because it is obviously a list of awesome.

...or horrible doom, one or the other.

Either way, while you're all scrambling to make your heavily encrypted posts and pretending there's not a bunch of hackers out there sniffing around your encryptions I'd like to point out that doing that is proooooobably the panic our red friend wants to leak.

[he sits back, spreading his hands, screw driver twirled between his fingers.] I mean, do you really think this isn't a game? That he's not enjoying watching you all panic and tear at your hair while he sits back and enjoys the chaos? It's what I'd be doing, if I wanted to sow dissent in the crew I wanted to keep too distracted to be unified. I mean, this is a classic villain tactic. Trust me -- it's what we do. We make you worry and cry and wonder, and while you're all busy looking at each other, we walk off with -- whatever we're walking off with. Man, I remember-- well, never mind. Roxanne can tell you all about the Blame Thrower - man, I have never been so happy to have a Douglas Adams book in the prison library. Gave me some great ideas!

Anyway. Our red friend has said that nothing is off the record. So maybe while you good guys are all busy worrying about what people are going to think of the list -- which includes at least one ex-con and mutineer, yours truly -- I should remind you: We all have numbers and we're all on a list somewhere. Like our ill planned passenger manifests; I can name at least five people off the top of my enormous head that were making lists; powers, skills, affiliations... and people got their jumpsuits in a twist over those too. Heck, I had my own threat lists when I was mutinying. Which ones of you were dangerous. Which ones of you weren't. The former list was pretty short, but even I misjudged who belonged on it. [Thanks, Kara.]

So: Lists. We're on them. Nothing's really changed, except we found out someone who isn't one of us is keeping one. So, back to business as usual, right?

Speaking of business as usual: I'm even more excited to get to our engineering field trip now! Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, I'd like to invite along Isaac Clarke and Tali - you guys want to get to that sooner as opposed to later? The more we find out, the better off we are.

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Are you seriously asking that? I don't announce until you're in the trap! Then I get to gloat. That's how it works!

...You mean the lasers and smoke and thunderous rock music aren't an announcement?

No, that's to announce when I've kidnapped you!

But kidnapping me is always part of the trap.

Doesn't count!

Of course it counts! It's a precursor to the attack, the plan! It should count double.

DOES NOT!

[DISCONNECT IN A HUFF. What a drama queen.]

[....For heavens sake.

Marching down to the music room now, coming in and shutting the door behind her.]

...Megamind. Really? Hanging up on me?

Edited 2012-05-18 03:57 (UTC)

[Megamind was-- tuning one of the guitars, narrow shoulders hunched. The piano was a lost cause now, ah well.]

What? You weren't going to listen. You were having too much fun mocking me with Kirk.

I was just teasing you. [It was banter! Fun!

She sighs, and comes up behind him, reaching to touch him.]

...I'm sorry.

[This is just how it turns out. Even the vaguest 'good' effort is met with just what a -- failure he is. Secretly, he knows deep down that to be true; he isn't half as smart or half as capable and it's going to be in ruins as soon as someone else figures it out.]

Why? It's the truth. I -- never accomplished anything there, and I haven't here. They're all expecting me to know things, show them things-- and I've played on it, Roxanne, I have--

And they're going to know I'm a fake. A -- a lousy villain, at best a nuisance, and it'll be quiet time in the corner all over again, except there's no way to go home to lick my wounds and fake it another day.

[He heaves a sigh, head drooped and shoulders hunching further.]

It's useless. I'm useless.

Edited 2012-05-18 04:16 (UTC)

Hey. Hey. [Her expression firms, and she slides around to face him, reaching for that guitar and setting it aside so she can kneel in front of him, taking his hands.]

Don’t you dare get like that. Are you listening to me? [He better be.]

You? Are brilliant, Megamind. Brilliant – and, alright. So you might have exaggerated on what you know and as to how deep your information really goes. But you’re not a fake. You’re a smart man – you know it, I know it – and you need to show them that. Tell them what you do know, lay whatever information you have out on the table, and let them add to it. Compile all your knowledge. Work together – you’re already heading towards that route. There’s no reason for us not to have a collective, functioning engineering department. You are not going to – get put in a corner. Alright? Are you listening to me?

[Adjusting in front of him, she squeezes his hands.]

You aren’t useless. Never, ever think that. You’re determined, you’re proud, and you never give up – that’s one of your absolute best qualities. You never run from anything and you don’t back down no matter how crappy your chances really are. So don’t start now.

[Ack! Ack! Personal space! Guitar! Megamind is-- at a loss for a moment, hands empty still she takes them, and then gives her his undivided attention. Mostly because she's invaded his personal space and he can't not give her his undivided attention.]

[He wishes he knew what happened to change her so dramatically. To flip the switch from derision to respect, from predictable to passionate. Some mysteries are better left unplumbed, though, so he doesn't ask. Instead, he just looks at her with bright eyes, and then lets his gaze wander to the side, uncertain.]

[He has no answer for her; not immediately. There are some things that people just have to reach on their own, realize in time-- and every thing she says nudges him in the right direction, but the catalyst for change and self-confidence... simply isn't there.]

I'm not a hero. This isn't what I do. I'm not the guy that you depend on. There's no great save, there's fantastic last ditch effort, there's no crow cheering-- and there's no getting the girl.

[He eyes her at those last words, before his gaze cuts aside again. She's here now, but-- for how long? Hrmph. He tugs on his hands, seeing to withdraw.]

I should be making all this more difficult. Just-- stick to what I know. What I do best. This team effort schlock's for -- other people. [Smarter, more capable, normal people who have nice hair and dazzling smiles and-- are a lot like Kirk, after all.]

[She regards him silently for a few moments, hands gripping his until he pulls them away and leaves her feeling oddly empty.]

No getting the girl, huh? What does that make me? Chopped liver? [She's -- frowning a little, but she gives her head a quick little shake.]

I know why you keep saying that, but -- it's not going to stop me loving you, caring about you. Do you want me? Do you want me around? I'm not going to force you to be with me. [But she wants him too. It's written all over her face.]

But how would that benefit anyone, even you? Making things difficult would just present yourself with a problem, and possibly get you into even bigger trouble than before. You wanted to go home so badly that you set up a mutiny -- think of what you could do with allies, friends! You have me and my support, and -- I like to think that's a start.

[Not touching the hero thing, though she eyes him before cutting her eyes to something else.]

No, it means-- [That it can't last. She'll find someone better. They're staying together, certainly, but he hasn't made a move on her since the aftermath of his betrayal. It's simply-- never felt right. Everything felt one step sideways from 'right' -- or in his case, 'wrong'-- and he'd never found the gumption to try again.] You're not chopped liver. You know that. And-- that's a stupid question! [ he says it despite the growing distance. ] I -- do. I fought for you. I -- wanted to take you... home. But I didn't.

[He pauses, wrestling with some foreign ideal as she talks about mutiny and support and starts before he blurts out:] They all think I'm a joke! Or worse, a patsy. A couple of people are waiting to see if I do it again, if I'm-- a tool to be used!

What kind of person is that? Somebody's fall guy? Nobody looks to me for leadership, they look to Kirk. Which is-- fine! That's what he is. He's a good guy! Everybody looks up to him! Hell, half the men on the ship want to be him. Add super powers and he's--

[...practically Metro Man.]

[And here not the root of the problem, but certainly a symptom. He doesn't know just how much she knows about their history, their shared school days, but if he did, he'd regret that lead in a lot more than he already does.]

You need a hero. Everyone here needs a hero. Crap, I think I need a hero at this point.

I'm not- a leader or a good guy or-- anything. At best now I'm a target with that stupid list.

I need to make sure. [She says, and scoots closer again, reassured and relieved.] Look, Megamind -- I'm here. I'm not going to run out on you. I'm not going to leave you hanging in the wind, alright? I want you, I want to be with you. I don't need you to be anyone or anything other than what you are. No heroes, no villains, just you.

[She's starting to see where this is going, where his thought process is headed. It's like taking several steps back after any tiny amount of progress she thought they'd made.

Fuck.]

So maybe you're not a 'good guy'. A 'leader'. You're a man, and you're my man. I'm not asking you to be any thing you don't want to be. I'm just -- asking you not to give up. I'll do whatever I can to help you out with anything you need. I mean, I can't do much in engineering, but I can try to help with the list.

[It's scaring her, his name being up there.]

[He sits, hunched and shoulders slumped, arms resting on his thighs, hands loose and dangling now. She has his complete attention, at least, wide green eyes bright with unspoken sentiment, tight at the corners with stress.]

[She says all that now but-- he has his doubts. Evil doesn't win. That's sort of the point. Evil tries, but-- ultimately, good defeats it. He can't win for very long. Something will rise and defeat him. Someone will be bigger, better, and good for her. Probably not Kirk, no, but-- someone.]

I never give up. [He sniffs, a little prim about the whole thing.] But eventually I lose. Already did lose once. You told them about all the other times too. [His lips twist. Best not to rehash that. More important things at hand to deal with.]

I'm not afraid of the list. I just don't know what I'm doing on it. I'm not -- that important. I just made a lot of noise and was handily defeated. I'm not like Kirk, or even-- Tony Stark, Neal Caffery or-- whoever else those people are.

[sigh]

It's laughing at us. Mocking us. It's a real villain.

You don't always lose.

[His hands aren't empty long. They're in hers soon enough, her fingers threading with his.]

I wanted to protect you. [She'd been afraid -- terrified -- that someone would try and take it into their own hands, and really end up air locking him. That's not something she could deal with.]

I don't know why you're on it either, Megamind. Hell, it could mean anything.

Oh, right. Except for that one time where I apparently save the day. Bad guys-- always lose, Roxanne. I mean, that's just-- proving it.

[He doesn't understand--what changes. Or maybe he does. Maybe he has an inkling of what his other-self felt when he looks at her and just wants her to be safe at home, and happy.]

[There's no resistance to her touch, or unwillingness to reassure.]

Or it could mean nothing. It's not complete. At least, I don't think it is. Chase doesn't either, and creepy she may be, it seems to be the idea. I mean, that few people out of how many have come and gone? Doesn't make any sense.

We just-- shouldn't let us change us. Change what we're doing. That's what it wants us to do -- get us running scared. I'm sure of it.

[At this point, it's horribly tempting to tell him. However, he seems so intent on remaining bad that she things that maybe it will just make the situation worse.

So she refrains from telling and refrains from offering.]

It doesn't make sense to have a list, period. [Obviously, Roxanne.] I just -- worry. About you, about all the rest.

[She sighs, and gets up next to him, and comes close, sliding an arm around him. She's tired, doesn't know what else to say, and feels a little bit like tearing up.]

...I'm sorry.

[He's-- put it together, really. Oh, he doesn't have the big pieces. But he knows something makes him change. Or maybe someone. Either way, some force changes his perception, but--]

[When he looks down what he thinks that road must be, it's all dark. He can't predict what would make him want to do that. It's a bit frightening, knowing one's future but not quite how one gets there.]

[So he says nothing about it; instead, he just slings an arm around her middle, and draws her closer when she sits besides him.]

Don't be.

We'll manage. I mean, it's just a list and a murderboat. What's there to worry about? [Sarcasm: the refuge of the weak-- and the scared.]

...Yeah. Nothing at all.

[She smiles at him and tightens her hold in a brief hug before she wriggles free, and reaches for his hands.]

Come on. Let's go back to the room.

Right. Of course.

[He cleaned up the guitars he had out, just to be safe -- God knows who might come to wreck something the next time, and then followed her out.]

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