Unmoderated Part 1
Unmoderated Part 2
Unmoderated Part 3

The Negotiators Part 1
The Negotiators Part 2

Adventures in Parodyverse - The Negotiators Part 4


    Liu Xi’s dinner wound down into quite a surreal scene.  At least to Visionary, who was totally surprised by the sum of everything he saw around the Chinese girl’s quarters.  He’d been to Lair Legion dinner parties before, but there was something a lot more friendly, a lot less dramatic and relaxed about this one.

    Chiaki turned out to be a very quiet drunk.  As part of the dinner, she drank wine.  But then she continued to sip more as they sat around Liu Xi’s living room, chatting.  She contributed less and less, until she was simply an observer, sipping her glass of wine and watching everyone else speak.  Since the television was off, the only sounds in the room were from the people within it.

    Visionary dared not comment on how much she was drinking, after hearing from the rest of the conversation what she went through in the last day or so.  She found her livelihood, and then her life threatened.  She had to move into the Lair Mansion, for her, the equivalent of a wild animal moving into the zoo, for protection.  She was living even closer now to the guy she had to break up with.

    He dared not comment even as Chiaki was sitting next to him on the couch, partially leaning against him, and drifting off every once in a while.

    At his other side on the couch, Lara Night was sitting up, watching everyone distantly.  She wasn’t drinking anything but espresso, slowly sipping one cup, but she was still nearly silent aside from a minor contribution once in a while.  It was as if her meeting with the Carnifex left her with even more on her mind.  She nearly missed the coffee table with her coffee cup a couple of times.

    Liu Xi wasn’t drinking either, but she proved to be surprisingly chatty and energetic among familiar friends.  She was sitting comfortably in a plush chair on Chiaki’s side of the couch, her legs folded beneath her.  He envied her familiarity, wondering if Jay enjoyed the same thing from her.  It made him feel bad that he tried so hard to keep her at a distance when she first arrived at the mansion.

    Anna wasn’t able to get drunk.  She sat in a chair borrowed from the dining room on Lara’s side of the couch, sipping wine for the taste of it, and seemed intrigued to watch the effect of it on others, and to listen to Liu Xi talk.  She contributed a little once in a while.

    Then, finally, Liu Xi brought up the subject of all subjects.  It took two attempts to get Chiaki’s attention with it.  What was she going to do now?

    Before replying, Chiaki looked around at everyone, a little confused about whether someone was talking to her.  “Um...”  she finally replied, wrinkling her nose and squinting.  “I mean...I’m not sure.  I suppose I will simply wait and see...wait to see what this Vendredi does.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”  Visionary told her.

    She nodded slowly.  “Jay said the same thing.”  Her speech as a little slurred, but she still managed coherent replies.  Chiaki put down her wine glass on the coffee table in the center of the room and waved it off.  “I believe I’ve had enough wine tonight.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Let me walk you to your room,”  Visionary suggested.  “It looks like you need some sleep.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No thank you.”  she replied, her eyes blinking slowly from exhaustion.  “I don’t like to have sex when I’m drunk.”

    Liu Xi covered her mouth and giggled.  Lara’s mouth was hanging open, and Anna was staring.  Visionary was frozen, unsure about what to do.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I mean--”  Chiaki suddenly smiled, and her shoulders slumped as she covered her face with one hand.  She was actually mildly amused.  “That was embarrassing.  I think I’ll go to bed now.”  She pulled herself up and picked up her sword.  Years of balance training allowed her to slowly leave without falling down, though she walked like someone who was trudging through snow.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Is she going to be okay?”  Visionary asked once Chiaki left.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Her quarters are close,”  Anna replied.  “If she falls I will hear the vibration through the floor.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Ah.  That’s reassuring.”  Visionary nodded and sighed.  Deep down, though, there was nothing more amusing to see than a very drunk Psychic Samurai.  Though at least it meant she felt comfortable and safe in the mansion.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’ve never seen her drunk before.”  Liu Xi spoke up.  “Have you?”  She looked around the room - everyone was shaking their head no.  The elementalist’s eyes turned downward.  “She must really be hurting.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Lara contributed.  “She’s like an eagle whose wings have been clipped.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So um...what happened at your meeting?”  Visionary suddenly asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh.”  The blonde suddenly seemed very reluctant to speak, though it was difficult to tell if it was because she couldn’t find the words, or learned something horrible.  “I um...I talked to him.  He’s nice, but kind of creepy.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That’s it?”  Liu Xi protested.

    For some reason, Liu Xi had a way of prodding Lara to talk more.  “He’s like...rich, but almost a caricature of a game hunter.  Even has a room decorated like a hunting lodge with animal heads.  Asked me some stuff about me, but didn’t really tell me much.  Said he was interested in Zdenka but I don’t know if he wants to date her, or trick her into turning into a wolf so he can shoot her and mount her head in the hunting lodge room.”

    There was a slight chuckling in honor of that dark humor throughout the room.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How do you believe Hatman would react?”  Anna asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I don’t know.”  Lara shrugged.  “I’m sure not going to tell him,”  she said.  “I don’t think I could handle something like Jay storming the Esqualine tower and getting himself killed, on my conscience.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That’s probably a good move.”  Visionary agreed.  He could imagine Hatman doing just that.  “He needs someone who can keep him calm to tell him.”

    Liu Xi had a different point of view.  “I should tell him,”  she said.  “So he won’t be surprised, and angry at everyone who knew, when he does find out.  I think I can convince him not to fight with the Carnifex.  If not I can keep him from leaving.”

    Lara nodded.  “I don’t know.”  she said.  “This is a really tough decision.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I will tell him.”  Liu Xi insisted, her eyes looking determined.  “And I will also tell him he needs to respect Zdenka’s ability to decide for herself.”

    There was a long pause from everyone.  Finally, Visionary nodded, and said, “That’s pretty good.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Lara agreed.  “It’ll let him know, and he won’t go all storm trooper on us.”

    Silence then fell throughout the room, and a mutual decision was made to bring the dinner party to a close.  Liu Xi stood first, and started cleaning up the coffee table as a nonverbal catalyst.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I guess I should be heading to bed.”  Lara spoke up.

    Visionary nodded.  “Me too.  Not to your bed, to mine.  Without you.  Or anyone else...just to go to sleep--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“We get the point!”  Liu Xi scolded to stop him from rambling.  She smiled then, and gently held his hand.  “I thank you for visiting though.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re welcome.”  Visionary replied.  And as he turned and headed to the door, “Good night.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I don’t require much sleep,”  Anna contributed.  “If you wish I will help you clean up.”  Visionary and Lara were heading to the door as she spoke.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, thank you.”  Liu Xi replied.  “It won’t take me long.”  She watched the two of them leave.  Once they were out of her quarters, she added, “Besides, I had enough activity.  I want some quiet time.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I understand.”  Anna nodded, and walked to the door.  “It was a nice experience.  Thank you, Liu Xi.”

    The Chinese girl nodded and smiled as she watched Anna leave.

    
TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin

>
> Unmoderated Part 1
> Unmoderated Part 2
> Unmoderated Part 3
>
> The Negotiators Part 1
> The Negotiators Part 2
>
> Adventures in Parodyverse - The Negotiators Part 4
>
>
> Liu Xi’s dinner wound down into quite a surreal scene.  At least to Visionary, who was totally surprised by the sum of everything he saw around the Chinese girl’s quarters.  He’d been to Lair Legion dinner parties before, but there was something a lot more friendly, a lot less dramatic and relaxed about this one.
>
> Chiaki turned out to be a very quiet drunk.  As part of the dinner, she drank wine.  But then she continued to sip more as they sat around Liu Xi’s living room, chatting.  She contributed less and less, until she was simply an observer, sipping her glass of wine and watching everyone else speak.  Since the television was off, the only sounds in the room were from the people within it.
>
> Visionary dared not comment on how much she was drinking, after hearing from the rest of the conversation what she went through in the last day or so.  She found her livelihood, and then her life threatened.  She had to move into the Lair Mansion, for her, the equivalent of a wild animal moving into the zoo, for protection.  She was living even closer now to the guy she had to break up with.
>
> He dared not comment even as Chiaki was sitting next to him on the couch, partially leaning against him, and drifting off every once in a while.
>
> At his other side on the couch, Lara Night was sitting up, watching everyone distantly.  She wasn’t drinking anything but espresso, slowly sipping one cup, but she was still nearly silent aside from a minor contribution once in a while.  It was as if her meeting with the Carnifex left her with even more on her mind.  She nearly missed the coffee table with her coffee cup a couple of times.
>
> Liu Xi wasn’t drinking either, but she proved to be surprisingly chatty and energetic among familiar friends.  She was sitting comfortably in a plush chair on Chiaki’s side of the couch, her legs folded beneath her.  He envied her familiarity, wondering if Jay enjoyed the same thing from her.  It made him feel bad that he tried so hard to keep her at a distance when she first arrived at the mansion.
>
> Anna wasn’t able to get drunk.  She sat in a chair borrowed from the dining room on Lara’s side of the couch, sipping wine for the taste of it, and seemed intrigued to watch the effect of it on others, and to listen to Liu Xi talk.  She contributed a little once in a while.
>
> Then, finally, Liu Xi brought up the subject of all subjects.  It took two attempts to get Chiaki’s attention with it.  What was she going to do now?
>
> Before replying, Chiaki looked around at everyone, a little confused about whether someone was talking to her.  “Um...”  she finally replied, wrinkling her nose and squinting.  “I mean...I’m not sure.  I suppose I will simply wait and see...wait to see what this Vendredi does.”
>
> “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”  Visionary told her.
>
> She nodded slowly.  “Jay said the same thing.”  Her speech as a little slurred, but she still managed coherent replies.  Chiaki put down her wine glass on the coffee table in the center of the room and waved it off.  “I believe I’ve had enough wine tonight.”
>
> “Let me walk you to your room,”  Visionary suggested.  “It looks like you need some sleep.”
>
> “No thank you.”  she replied, her eyes blinking slowly from exhaustion.  “I don’t like to have sex when I’m drunk.”
>
> Liu Xi covered her mouth and giggled.  Lara’s mouth was hanging open, and Anna was staring.  Visionary was frozen, unsure about what to do.
>
> “I mean--”  Chiaki suddenly smiled, and her shoulders slumped as she covered her face with one hand.  She was actually mildly amused.  “That was embarrassing.  I think I’ll go to bed now.”  She pulled herself up and picked up her sword.  Years of balance training allowed her to slowly leave without falling down, though she walked like someone who was trudging through snow.
>
> “Is she going to be okay?”  Visionary asked once Chiaki left.
>
> “Her quarters are close,”  Anna replied.  “If she falls I will hear the vibration through the floor.”
>
> “Ah.  That’s reassuring.”  Visionary nodded and sighed.  Deep down, though, there was nothing more amusing to see than a very drunk Psychic Samurai.  Though at least it meant she felt comfortable and safe in the mansion.
>
> “I’ve never seen her drunk before.”  Liu Xi spoke up.  “Have you?”  She looked around the room - everyone was shaking their head no.  The elementalist’s eyes turned downward.  “She must really be hurting.”
>
> “Yeah.”  Lara contributed.  “She’s like an eagle whose wings have been clipped.”
>
> “So um...what happened at your meeting?”  Visionary suddenly asked.
>
> “Oh.”  The blonde suddenly seemed very reluctant to speak, though it was difficult to tell if it was because she couldn’t find the words, or learned something horrible.  “I um...I talked to him.  He’s nice, but kind of creepy.”
>
> “That’s it?”  Liu Xi protested.
>
> For some reason, Liu Xi had a way of prodding Lara to talk more.  “He’s like...rich, but almost a caricature of a game hunter.  Even has a room decorated like a hunting lodge with animal heads.  Asked me some stuff about me, but didn’t really tell me much.  Said he was interested in Zdenka but I don’t know if he wants to date her, or trick her into turning into a wolf so he can shoot her and mount her head in the hunting lodge room.”
>
> There was a slight chuckling in honor of that dark humor throughout the room.
>
> “How do you believe Hatman would react?”  Anna asked.
>
> “I don’t know.”  Lara shrugged.  “I’m sure not going to tell him,”  she said.  “I don’t think I could handle something like Jay storming the Esqualine tower and getting himself killed, on my conscience.”
>
> “That’s probably a good move.”  Visionary agreed.  He could imagine Hatman doing just that.  “He needs someone who can keep him calm to tell him.”
>
> Liu Xi had a different point of view.  “I should tell him,”  she said.  “So he won’t be surprised, and angry at everyone who knew, when he does find out.  I think I can convince him not to fight with the Carnifex.  If not I can keep him from leaving.”
>
> Lara nodded.  “I don’t know.”  she said.  “This is a really tough decision.”
>
> “I will tell him.”  Liu Xi insisted, her eyes looking determined.  “And I will also tell him he needs to respect Zdenka’s ability to decide for herself.”
>
> There was a long pause from everyone.  Finally, Visionary nodded, and said, “That’s pretty good.”
>
> “Yeah.”  Lara agreed.  “It’ll let him know, and he won’t go all storm trooper on us.”
>
> Silence then fell throughout the room, and a mutual decision was made to bring the dinner party to a close.  Liu Xi stood first, and started cleaning up the coffee table as a nonverbal catalyst.
>
> “I guess I should be heading to bed.”  Lara spoke up.
>
> Visionary nodded.  “Me too.  Not to your bed, to mine.  Without you.  Or anyone else...just to go to sleep--”
>
> “We get the point!”  Liu Xi scolded to stop him from rambling.  She smiled then, and gently held his hand.  “I thank you for visiting though.”
>
> “You’re welcome.”  Visionary replied.  And as he turned and headed to the door, “Good night.”
>
> “I don’t require much sleep,”  Anna contributed.  “If you wish I will help you clean up.”  Visionary and Lara were heading to the door as she spoke.
>
> “No, thank you.”  Liu Xi replied.  “It won’t take me long.”  She watched the two of them leave.  Once they were out of her quarters, she added, “Besides, I had enough activity.  I want some quiet time.”
>
> “I understand.”  Anna nodded, and walked to the door.  “It was a nice experience.  Thank you, Liu Xi.”
>
> The Chinese girl nodded and smiled as she watched Anna leave.
>
>
> TO BE CONTINUED?
>
>
> -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
> --    reprinted without permission.  
> -- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
> --  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
> --  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin
>

A nice dinner party, even if half of the guest list was rather subdued. Chiaki getting drunk was a surprise, and I kind of liked it... added a bit more of a human element to her. I was also a bit surprised at Liu Xi being the chatty one.

I look forward to seeing what hung-over Chiaki is like...

...but they also don't want Hatty to be angry because they knew and didn't tell him.

Liu Xi is generally chatty among friends, when she's sure that she can speak freely.

Chiaki has a lot on her mind lately.



Sore and a little fuzzy minded, but still a samurai.

>
> Unmoderated Part 1
> Unmoderated Part 2
> Unmoderated Part 3
>
> The Negotiators Part 1
> The Negotiators Part 2
>
> Adventures in Parodyverse - The Negotiators Part 4
>
>
> Liu Xi’s dinner wound down into quite a surreal scene.  At least to Visionary, who was totally surprised by the sum of everything he saw around the Chinese girl’s quarters.  He’d been to Lair Legion dinner parties before, but there was something a lot more friendly, a lot less dramatic and relaxed about this one.
>
> Chiaki turned out to be a very quiet drunk.  As part of the dinner, she drank wine.  But then she continued to sip more as they sat around Liu Xi’s living room, chatting.  She contributed less and less, until she was simply an observer, sipping her glass of wine and watching everyone else speak.  Since the television was off, the only sounds in the room were from the people within it.
>
> Visionary dared not comment on how much she was drinking, after hearing from the rest of the conversation what she went through in the last day or so.  She found her livelihood, and then her life threatened.  She had to move into the Lair Mansion, for her, the equivalent of a wild animal moving into the zoo, for protection.  She was living even closer now to the guy she had to break up with.
>
> He dared not comment even as Chiaki was sitting next to him on the couch, partially leaning against him, and drifting off every once in a while.
>
> At his other side on the couch, Lara Night was sitting up, watching everyone distantly.  She wasn’t drinking anything but espresso, slowly sipping one cup, but she was still nearly silent aside from a minor contribution once in a while.  It was as if her meeting with the Carnifex left her with even more on her mind.  She nearly missed the coffee table with her coffee cup a couple of times.
>
> Liu Xi wasn’t drinking either, but she proved to be surprisingly chatty and energetic among familiar friends.  She was sitting comfortably in a plush chair on Chiaki’s side of the couch, her legs folded beneath her.  He envied her familiarity, wondering if Jay enjoyed the same thing from her.  It made him feel bad that he tried so hard to keep her at a distance when she first arrived at the mansion.
>
> Anna wasn’t able to get drunk.  She sat in a chair borrowed from the dining room on Lara’s side of the couch, sipping wine for the taste of it, and seemed intrigued to watch the effect of it on others, and to listen to Liu Xi talk.  She contributed a little once in a while.
>
> Then, finally, Liu Xi brought up the subject of all subjects.  It took two attempts to get Chiaki’s attention with it.  What was she going to do now?
>
> Before replying, Chiaki looked around at everyone, a little confused about whether someone was talking to her.  “Um...”  she finally replied, wrinkling her nose and squinting.  “I mean...I’m not sure.  I suppose I will simply wait and see...wait to see what this Vendredi does.”
>
> “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”  Visionary told her.
>
> She nodded slowly.  “Jay said the same thing.”  Her speech as a little slurred, but she still managed coherent replies.  Chiaki put down her wine glass on the coffee table in the center of the room and waved it off.  “I believe I’ve had enough wine tonight.”
>
> “Let me walk you to your room,”  Visionary suggested.  “It looks like you need some sleep.”
>
> “No thank you.”  she replied, her eyes blinking slowly from exhaustion.  “I don’t like to have sex when I’m drunk.”
>
> Liu Xi covered her mouth and giggled.  Lara’s mouth was hanging open, and Anna was staring.  Visionary was frozen, unsure about what to do.
>
> “I mean--”  Chiaki suddenly smiled, and her shoulders slumped as she covered her face with one hand.  She was actually mildly amused.  “That was embarrassing.  I think I’ll go to bed now.”  She pulled herself up and picked up her sword.  Years of balance training allowed her to slowly leave without falling down, though she walked like someone who was trudging through snow.
>
> “Is she going to be okay?”  Visionary asked once Chiaki left.
>
> “Her quarters are close,”  Anna replied.  “If she falls I will hear the vibration through the floor.”
>
> “Ah.  That’s reassuring.”  Visionary nodded and sighed.  Deep down, though, there was nothing more amusing to see than a very drunk Psychic Samurai.  Though at least it meant she felt comfortable and safe in the mansion.
>
> “I’ve never seen her drunk before.”  Liu Xi spoke up.  “Have you?”  She looked around the room - everyone was shaking their head no.  The elementalist’s eyes turned downward.  “She must really be hurting.”
>
> “Yeah.”  Lara contributed.  “She’s like an eagle whose wings have been clipped.”
>
> “So um...what happened at your meeting?”  Visionary suddenly asked.
>
> “Oh.”  The blonde suddenly seemed very reluctant to speak, though it was difficult to tell if it was because she couldn’t find the words, or learned something horrible.  “I um...I talked to him.  He’s nice, but kind of creepy.”
>
> “That’s it?”  Liu Xi protested.
>
> For some reason, Liu Xi had a way of prodding Lara to talk more.  “He’s like...rich, but almost a caricature of a game hunter.  Even has a room decorated like a hunting lodge with animal heads.  Asked me some stuff about me, but didn’t really tell me much.  Said he was interested in Zdenka but I don’t know if he wants to date her, or trick her into turning into a wolf so he can shoot her and mount her head in the hunting lodge room.”
>
> There was a slight chuckling in honor of that dark humor throughout the room.
>
> “How do you believe Hatman would react?”  Anna asked.
>
> “I don’t know.”  Lara shrugged.  “I’m sure not going to tell him,”  she said.  “I don’t think I could handle something like Jay storming the Esqualine tower and getting himself killed, on my conscience.”
>
> “That’s probably a good move.”  Visionary agreed.  He could imagine Hatman doing just that.  “He needs someone who can keep him calm to tell him.”
>
> Liu Xi had a different point of view.  “I should tell him,”  she said.  “So he won’t be surprised, and angry at everyone who knew, when he does find out.  I think I can convince him not to fight with the Carnifex.  If not I can keep him from leaving.”
>
> Lara nodded.  “I don’t know.”  she said.  “This is a really tough decision.”
>
> “I will tell him.”  Liu Xi insisted, her eyes looking determined.  “And I will also tell him he needs to respect Zdenka’s ability to decide for herself.”
>
> There was a long pause from everyone.  Finally, Visionary nodded, and said, “That’s pretty good.”
>
> “Yeah.”  Lara agreed.  “It’ll let him know, and he won’t go all storm trooper on us.”
>
> Silence then fell throughout the room, and a mutual decision was made to bring the dinner party to a close.  Liu Xi stood first, and started cleaning up the coffee table as a nonverbal catalyst.
>
> “I guess I should be heading to bed.”  Lara spoke up.
>
> Visionary nodded.  “Me too.  Not to your bed, to mine.  Without you.  Or anyone else...just to go to sleep--”
>
> “We get the point!”  Liu Xi scolded to stop him from rambling.  She smiled then, and gently held his hand.  “I thank you for visiting though.”
>
> “You’re welcome.”  Visionary replied.  And as he turned and headed to the door, “Good night.”
>
> “I don’t require much sleep,”  Anna contributed.  “If you wish I will help you clean up.”  Visionary and Lara were heading to the door as she spoke.
>
> “No, thank you.”  Liu Xi replied.  “It won’t take me long.”  She watched the two of them leave.  Once they were out of her quarters, she added, “Besides, I had enough activity.  I want some quiet time.”
>
> “I understand.”  Anna nodded, and walked to the door.  “It was a nice experience.  Thank you, Liu Xi.”
>
> The Chinese girl nodded and smiled as she watched Anna leave.
>
>
> TO BE CONTINUED?
>
>
> -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
> --    reprinted without permission.  
> -- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
> --  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
> --  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin
>

To be fair about this, it reflects the sum of different personalities:

Chiaki doesn't like to tell anyone anything hurtful unless it's really necessary. In her mind, what could it possibly accomplish to tell him? By now he should be used to that from her, even if he later finds out she knew. Plus she's drunk and doesn't really care about anything but sleeping in this story.

Lara honestly doesn't know Hatman very well, and has no idea how he'll react. She's seen a range of reactions to various situations from him, and she doesn't really know if he'll react calmly or "storm the palace", so to speak - and she doesn't want that on her conscience. So she's trying to err on the side of caution - not because it's Hatman the information pertains to, but because she's afraid of telling anyone the same news.

A lot of people think Liu Xi knows Hatman well, but she doesn't. Even she knows she's still trying to relate to someone who is resisting anything but a friendship at arm's length. So she doesn't know how he'll react either, but she believes she can keep him calm by setting the circumstances. Of course, whether she can actually do it remains to be seen.

Anna has no idea what to do. She's never tried to deal with this kind of situation.

And finally, as always Visionary is always afraid of saying something stupid and making things worse. Though I'm sure he could have been convinced to tell Hat if nobody else volunteered, or if someone volunteered him.

So she thinks Zdenka could be in danger, but out of fear of making Hatman upset she doesn't tell him? Or Zdenka? She also doesn't seem to have much faith in his abilities.


Liu Xi doesn't know Hatman well, but you think she could tell Hatman and Doorman apart by smell?


Here's where I really disagree. Visionary is fiercly loyal and protective of his friends, and reacts very harshly to those who would threaten them. He would be more upset by people hiding a threat to Hallie than telling him so he could help deal with it. I think Visionary would extend the same courtesy to Hatman.

"I think he might be out to hurt her" wouldn't even send CSFB! into a flying rage, let alone Hatman. Hatman would follow up on it, but he wouldn't storm the castle with hats-a-blazing (ooh, I might have to use that term in a story, I like it!) on a hunch. That doesn't fit his leadership style at all.

~Hat~

No, she thinks the Carnifex is "creepy", not dangerous. She figures Zdenka is smart enough to figure that much out. But if Zdenka goes missing or something, and Hatman doesn't know what happened, she won't keep silent then. She's mostly worried about getting him all upset over nothing when he has more important things to worry about, and she's worried about the outside chance she may cause a confrontation between the Lair Legion and the Carnifex that wasn't really necessary.



That's more a proximity issue. She was physically very close to Doorman, so if she's close enough to Hatman she can tell the smells apart. Imagine you're standing in a crowded elevator behind the same person every day - if that person's smell changes suddenly one day you'd notice.

By the way, the smell thing, I thought of as an expression of personality. Doorman is a more aggressive person and probably uses products that have smells to reflect that (i.e. he's not going to use any "pansy flowery shampoo", he'd use something menthol scented instead maybe). Didn't you ever notice how people with aggressive or obnoxious tendencies often tend to wear smells that emphasize it?

Even so, she doesn't know Hatman well enough to predict his every response yet. That would be more something CSFB! could do - but she won't tell him, because he can't keep a secret. Remember how surprised she was when she told Hatman that she killed someone and he didn't shun her and toss her out of the mansion? Liu Xi can still be surprised by his responses.



Maybe, but he also thinks Liu Xi is going to tell him. Don't worry though, because if you were paying close attention you can see where there may just be an amusing setup at work here. You know what they say about too many people carrying a secret.

Either way, there's no threat here as of yet. The Carnifex doesn't really seem dangerous to anyone. The only info is that Lara thinks he's "creepy" - and so far, nobody really places a high value on her abstract opinions - and he might be interested in dating Zdenka. The only reason they're afraid to tell Hatman is because he might perceive danger where there isn't any, and start a fight with what they think is one of the most powerful heroes in Paradopolis.



Let's rewind a bit. Lara may appear passive, but if she believed the Carnifex may be trying to hurt Zdenka she would have already tried to put a stop to it, possibly by turning violent during her meeting with him (as rude as that is). Chiaki is secretly fiercely protective of Jay, and by extension Zdenka, so she would have threatened the Carnifex already if Lara told her that he was dangerous.

Lara said he was "creepy". But she meant the kind of creepy that would repulse Zdenka - so she's depending on Zdenka being smart enough to eventually see the creepiness and turn him away.

Lastly, because of the "testosterone factor", that means there's an outside chance if she tells him what the Carnifex said, he'd go straight there and "have a talk" with him to intimidate him a bit. She gets the sense that the Carnifex won't take that kind of thing well, and a fight will result. Not that Hatman will storm in and punch him in the face or anything like that. The point is, she's afraid to be the cause of the result of such a meeting. It's better to leave the decision up to Zdenka and hope things work out.