> > No, accidentally. But she wasn't rude before that. The point is she's not behaving maliciously, laughing at someone and then burning them to death - it's more an act of desperation.
>
> I guess we're talking about two different things as well. Tom hasn't done anything as horrible as Liu Xi has yet, but he has shown an ascerbic disregard for the feelings of people who cross him.
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Maybe that's the difference. Liu Xi has killed people, but paradoxically is a very sympathetic person.
> > > And what about all the times she's hurled Chinese curses at people? That language was far from precise.
> > That's after she's already angry. She may be polite most of the time, but she lacks the polished composure of the Psychic Samurai.
>
> So it's okay to be rude when you lose your temper but not otherwise?
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She has to be pushed pretty far before she starts cursing. It's her alternative to reacting violently when she's pushed too much, or when she has no other defense. She's not as composed under pressure as Chiaki, and not as even tempered as Lara.
> > That's exactly it - by that measure, Liu Xi should feel superior all the time too, because she does have the power to enforce it. Instead she tries to keep her friends and make new ones.
>
> Tom's meant to be a somewhat grey character, so he has to have significant flaws as well as some virtues.
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The problem is, the flaws are turning him into everyone's enemy.
For example, Chiaki isn't always everyone's friend, but she's so polite and calm that she even gets away with carrying a sword into tense situations. If she would be a jerk *and* carry a sword, she would likely end up in confrontations much more often. As she would say, it's easier to disarm with words than with might.
> > Both of those women would take exception to being considered a Lair Legion crony. Especially Chiaki, who worked hard on her own to make a name for herself.
>
> I'm speaking here from Tom's perspective, but also perhaps from that of some of the populace or the government. After all both women have taken up rent-free residence at the Lair Mansion, both have used association with the LL to avoid legal trouble, and both have attempted to establish romantic relationships with members of the team. You and I might know there's more to it than that, but from Tom's limited knowledge they're getting a deal he could never have.
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Chiaki is only there temporarily - she'll be going home soon. She generally lives in her own penthouse apartment. She doesn't really want to live in the mansion because she feels like she lacks some freedom there, having to account for everywhere she goes.
Lara has a home in another universe, but she doesn't really mind being associated with the Lair Legion. She doesn't want people to think she takes orders from them, but she does want them to know she's there to help (when she is there).
> > And that's exactly the point Chiaki would make. There are no free passes - she worked hard to get where she is, and to become trusted. She would expect no less from Tom Black. Chiaki has no sympathy for the corner he painted himself into.
>
> Tom's only real illegal act in these stories so far is to hijack a plane to dicert it from a destination where he knows there's a trap waiting for him.
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It's less about breaking laws and more about creating additional enemies.
> > Lara, on the other hand, might agree she had it easier than most, but she would also partly agree with Chiaki - that Tom might feel rejected by the LL but he isn't really helping his case either. Of course she's also the type who would have tried to give him a chance right up until he behaved like a jerk.
>
> Tom's "jerkness" appears to be based upon him not liking being shaken down by G-Men or marked for sanctioning by his own government. It's not like he slapped a stewardess or anything.
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Or the way he responded. Cops often say innocent people have nothing to hide - the moment he started being evasive and sarcastic, that sets off alarm bells in a decent investigator, and thanks to cell phone and radio technology, that probably extended all the way to Project Pendragon in England.
Imagine if he would have been more cooperative. Probably still would have been deported, because that decision had been made already, but he might have been able to land in England safely.
> > Lara also has experience none of the other would-be conquerors had a chance to: She has seen what it takes for Shema to remain in control of her universe. Lara knows it doesn't take raw power to do that, it takes amazing foresight and extreme planning, juggling millions of factors and predicting the outcomes. That she'll admit she's not capable of. It's the primary reason she keeps to small-time, because she knows she can handle that.
> > She's also probably peripherally aware that the Lair Legion and probably the government are researching ways to destroy her just in case. That's just part of the job, so she's not really offended by it.
>
> There are undoubtedly plans to take down the LL too. In fact we saw some of them during SR 1066.
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Lara understands that too, in a way. The reason why, is because as an appointed "Guardian" back home, part of her job is to help take down anyone who demonstrates a danger to her universe. If she has a job like that, it's only natural someone in the Parodyverse does too.
> > What would really give her a crisis of loyalty is if the Lair Legion has a seemingly good reason to take over the universe by force, and asks for her help.
>
> That's unlikely though.
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That's one of the reasons she helps the Lair Legion and not the Hooded Hood.
> > > Of course, Regret has already been enslaved to Vinnie's father.
> > Now the only remaining problem is explaining it to Liu Xi. Even as a friend she expects better from him.
>
> Better than what? So far we haven't even heard how he reacts to Regret walking into his office.
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She's going to be very suspicious at the least.
