Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-24147026-20160605220338/@comment-24147026-20160625151604

Humming his attentiveness where appropriate, Neil listened to the woman's pitch as he jogged around the truck, his frame briefly eclipsing the bright fluorescent headlights and casting a shadow out to the empty street before them. It was over just as quickly as Neil could get around the front of the large vehicle, reaching the driverside door and entering the surprisingly small cabin with a content sigh.

The driver's seat crinkled with the added addition of his weight and he found the sound more pleasing than the newly introduced Zanipher's voice. It infuriated him in how much her tone resembled his own when he threw on a facade, how easy those eyes became as guarded as the sunglasses adorning his own face.

Envy was little more than a childish reaction to seeing someone else play with one of your toys, and Neil was always happy to share with his friends, but the fact she was so haughty while doing so struck a nerve with him. If he wanted to be talked down to and subserviant to another's whims, he would have stayed under the employ of the same gang that had started him on his path to fortune and infamy, instead of burying them and looting their remains for his own purposes.

There was still a little part of him that was interested in her and what she represented, it was always rare to find someone who was willing to talk instead of resorting to more physical matters when dealing with their line of buisness. He had thought himself an innovator when it came to using charisma and influence to get what he wanted, but watching Zanipher work was a little intoxicating. She knew how to hit the right marks, peppering little threats into her description of her organization, and the sound of her laughter seemed so natural that it could only come from strainious rehearsal and trial.

As her question of understanding was proposed, Neil reached over and turned the keys in the ignition. The truck's engine came to life, softly thrumming throughout the cabin, he could feel the vibrations travel up his boots. Impressed but not willing to compromise his own way of dealing, he took his sweet time before properly answering, adjusting his seat and fiddeling with the rear view mirror until it was in the perfect position to catch his own reflection alongside the back of the truck. He stepped on the gas lightly, slowly pulling off the curb of the Dust Shoppe and on to the street. Cruising easily down the empty lane.

"I understand what you're proposing, Zanipher." He spoke in a soft tone, losing the biting edge to convey a sense of seriousness to his descion, not that he was considering anything the woman said to be true for the time being. "And honestly, I'm flattered that eight other people are so interested in me. Like, I'm imagining some buisness type meeting where these Dragons had to sit down and gush about my accomplishments before veering into my good looks in general. It's egotistical of me, I know."

He took his eyes off the road for a moment, flashing a conquettish smile to prove his point. "But if you really knew how I operated, you would know I'm not just a pretty face willing to work for anyone flashing some Lien and cornering me in the shadows. So be straight with me here, by listening to you what do I get in return? What do I risk losing? I'm not the only friend you'll be making tonight, and it'll be rude if you threw the others under a bus without proper warning."