11299/Don't Mess with the King

Don't Mess with the King
Date of Scene:	23 May 2022
Location:	A security room at Shaw Industries
Synopsis:	Valerie's bombing of Sebastian's truck leads to ... a job offer?
Cast of Characters:	Sebastian Shaw, Valerie Killmore

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Sebastian Shaw has posed:
The explosion was glorious, as Valerie watched the shipment of the latest microchips from Shaw Industries go up in flames. The subsequent grabbing by security was probably not as glorious, but maybe it was?

Valerie was dragged off for interrogation, a hood placed over her head, and limited information being provided. Some basic questions, of course, to confirm that she was in fact the perpetrator of the attack. And then she was left alone, hands tied to a chair, the hood remaining on her face. She could tell that the room was well lit from the way light came in through the almost but not quite opaque hook. And it was climate controlled. So that was nice.

After about an hour of sitting in wait, she could hear the door open and several foot steps under. The hood is pulled off her face, and as her eyes adjust to the light she sees that she is in a bare room, and the occupants are three men now - two fairly generic looking guards, one of whom is holding her hood. The other is a man of stature and bearing - he is wearing a fine purple jacket with silver filigree, black pants that end in black boots, and sports large muttonchops, perhaps to make up for the widow's peak of his receding hairline. His face does not show amusement as he starts at her. For the moment, they are all silent, waiting for Valerie it seems to end the silence.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
The explosion WAS glorious. It was lots of fire and burning, and sparking of something, she wasn't quite sure. I mean, who puts microchips into such a secure van? And why would they spark? Oh, extreme heat, some electricity sort of stuck in there, and lots of colors. Right, it was THAT bomb, wasn't it?

The van, though, that was really quick. Valerie was standing there like some kind of superheroine, smiling, hands on her hips, eyes wide and in awe of the fire. The smoke that was twirling up into the sky, and then? Bag over the head, hands locked, tossed into something with wheels and off she went.

The questions were rather easy to answer, "Yeah, that was me. Are you looking for tips?" She wondered, and then another question, "Why? Hmmm... why not?" A bit of a shrug and then wiggling in the whole tied up thing before she just relaxes a little, starting to bob her head, then she closes her eyes and starts to hum a bit, a soft melodic sound, then she's singing a little, "I'll keep quiet, you won't even know I'm here, you won't suspect a thing, you won't see me in the mirror." That's about when the guard starts to wander off, and she continues the soft melody of The Devil Within by Digital Daggers.

Once that ends though, she's quirking her mout to the right, then the left, and she questions, "Hello? Anyone there? I mean, like, whoa, this whole setup..." She sniffs inward a few times, "Is nice and all that, but, wowwie. It'd be NICE-er if I could see it." With a bit of a chortling laugh, she shakes, rocking the binds against her wrists some, "You mind say, I'm blind to your style choices." A few more chuckles get to her, before she sighs, "Hellloooooooooooooooo, hello, hello, hi, howdy, bonjour, what's up, you? Nah, nothing for me thanks, no, this isn't planned. Who would plan this? Well, I mean, I guess it could be planned. If I were..."

And she talks like this for the entire hour as people come in and out. Soon losing track of anyone else than the person she's responding to... herself? Someone nearby? Does she sense something these guards are unaware of?

When the hood comes off, she's grinning big, eyes wide, she's looking around, this way and that, like a little kid who has been waiting on Christmas. The bare room though, it starts to sour her face, and she's frowning, "Well, that's anti-climactic. I'd say. I know you would, but really?" And she looks up toward a corner, squinting, blowing some blue hair out of her face, before she nods her head, "I would."

Looking between the guard and the man in the purple jacket she grins, "You look fancy. One thing I'll have to say, is we're going by hooker rules." A pause, a long pause and then she ohhhs and shakes her head, "No, sorry. Stripper rules. No touching." A nod, and she eyes around again, "You really should find whoever made your suit and doctor up this... kill basement? Torture basement? Fun with crayola basement? Whatever it is, just get some color in here, I really thought there was going to be rainbow colored unicorns in here."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
Sebastian Shaw allows the girl to ramble. He is a patient man. When she finally takes a breath, he speaks. "Who told you to take out our shipment?" Not one for smalltalk, it seems.

He nods subtly and the two guards exit the room, closing the door behind him. His hands are clasped behind his back, and he studies the girl. "I am not familiar with you. Who are you aligned with, and why target us?" He seems bored and disinterested in his tone,m but is clearly neither.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
Once the rambling stops, and Hex has a chance to wait it out, and she's squinting at him. She takes in a breath and then, shakes her head, "Got nothin' Fancy Jacket Man." She gives a little shrug and then looks around, "OooOoooOOoh, the door closing? Does that mean it's time for you to take a toe?" She starts visibly wiggling her flats, and then thinks, "Pinky? No, I like my pinky toes." And she looks back to Shaw and offers a, "Not familiar with me?"

Again, looking around, she's squinting, looking at things, not that there's much in the way of decor here, "I'm aligned with..." And she nods her head a little, to the left, like a 'come here' kind of message, waiting to see if anyone leans in she whispers, "I'll spell it out, because using the full name is just... silly in a situation like this. Emm. Eeey. Comma, Emm, Why, Ess, Eeey, Elle, Eff, comma, Ayyy, Ennn, Dee, Eye." She starts to grin, big, her eyes twinkle, "We're a power not to be trifled with, or to trifle with, because, I gotta say, you did a good job trifling. That hood... nice touch."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
There is a bit of a grin on Sebastian's face. "I admire your spunk, young lady, and it leads me to want to find a reason to spare you." The grin is gone in an instant. "But keep it up, and you overstay my patience. What led you to destroy $10 million worth of chips? I would have rather an ill-conceived attempt at theft because then at least I could have retrieved the goods."

Sebastian reaches out and starts to adjust the ring on his finger as he watches her. "I promise you, if you are honest with me, then you will be released, and I will lay my vengeance at the foot of your employer instead of you." He watches her fiercely, and there is likeky little doubt that he is prepared to take such matters into his hands.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
Slowly, Hex mouths, Wow, and then says, "Wow. Mister. Ten million seems like a LOT." She takes in a deep breath, "Well, fine. Okay, I'll let you know. Only because you've been such a good sport. The vehicle, in question, the one carrying your expensive chips, well, it has an alternator that's hard to find. You see, and I was debating. Do I wait for it to stop, and take it that way, or do I not wait. If I don't wait, well, how in the world will I get it? It's moving, after all." And she grins and her eyes open up more, "And that's when I had the idea. Chomp bombs take no prisoners."

Then she sighs and frowns, "Unfortunately. I think I blew up the alternator, and not in a good, singed kind of way, no, a complete pieces. It was spectacular, but now I'm looking for another one." She shrugs, "I suppose, I could go to a few junkyards, but it was RIGHT THERE." And she's already babbling out as Shaw talks about being honest, "Honest?" She squints, and her nostrils flare, "Did someone say I'm not? Whoever it is, I will bite their tongue straight out of their MOUTH!" She screams, and starts breathing a bit harder, her eyes wild, suddenly, "Was it him? Your stooge? I'll do it!" And she chomps in his direction, like a kid trying to reach for a toy clearly too far away.

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
Shaw reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "This was so much easier when I had Emma." He opens his eyes and looks at Valerie. "You destroyed $10 million in microchips to steal a $100 alternator." He actually seems to believe her. After all, he has been acquainted with more than one who was...touched...in this way.

"Forget the why. Let us go with the how." His eyes return to her. "That was an armored truck capable of withstanding shoulder launched missiles. What technology do you have that lets you even scratch it?"

Valerie Killmore has posed:
There's a few nods, slowly, "Well, when you put it that way, I should've blown up some money first." She thinks about that logic, and it seems to make sense as she doesn't correct herself. The emotions are flittering about, when there's a question, a tech question. "Ohhhhhh, yeah, that's easy. A chomp bomb."

As if that really explains the entire thing, "That'll burn right through an armored truck, money, microchips, people, buildings, really with enough of them, you just... have a party. Though some of them won't burn anything at all, they might just freeze it, or encase it in clay. It's really up to the bomb, that one was Fred. And Fred, was definitely a fiery fella. Before I stuck him to the truck with some yarn, well, he was going on about how he ..." Pausing she looks over to the guard, then back to Shaw, "Are there kids watching the security footage? I can't repeat what Fred said with children around, that's really not OKAY. What about you? You have anything interesting you can share? These binding techniques, for a starter, I could lash something to a truck pretty well with these." She admires.

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
"You built the bomb yourself" Sebastian raises an eyebrow, but is not dubious. "What other manner of devices can you build?" His mind starts to turn over. He has employed looser cannons before. "Perhaps we can find a way for you to make up for the $10 million you have cost me today. I have uses for people of your talents."

A long sigh. "Tell me, my dear, what is your name? Do you have family that cares for you, or are you on your own?"

Valerie Killmore has posed:
"Should I answer him? That sounds like a question I shouldn't answer." Hex looks to her left with just her eyes, and then looks back to Shaw, and then back to the left, "I mean, he is saying that I can make it up to him." Then back to Shaw then back to the left, "No, I don't think it would be easier to swap the stripper rules out for the hooker ones. That's a TERRIBLE idea, why do I even keep you around?" And she shakes her head, smiling, and turning to Shaw to say, "Alright. I'll make it up to you, that seems fair."

And there's a little explosion behind her, little, just a small one, and she brings her hands forward, rubbing her wrists, one of her finger tips is bleeding a little, and she puts it into her mouth, but there's only a little soot.

Bringing her unhurt hand forward she offers a shake, "Shake on it?" Though, the next question, kind of, gets her to close her eyes, quickly, and then blink a few times, "FamilY!?! No, no no nonono, no..." She shakes her head, her eyes tipping downward, her body shaking a bit, "Who needs FAMILY!? Huh? Not me, no way, MISTER. Always with the family, everyone's got a brother or sister, or mom or dad." She flings her hands into the air, flailing upwards, in exasperation, then she quickly sinks them into her lap, tucking them between her thighs and slightly sitting on them as she starts to rock a little back and forth in the seat. "HEX! They'd say, Ooooooooh, you can't come with us, no team you are. And then, when I try and warn them about the trip wires?! Does anyone listen? Nonono, not to HEX! Make friends, lose friends, have family, lose family, and it's all MY fault."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
Just when Shaw thought things were trending normal. He seems ready to shake on it, only a slight surprise as the bonds explode. He has already concluded that there is more to her than met the eye. Of course, the same can be said of him, but that is something entirely different. Perhaps.

Then he triggers her with family. He watches her rock back and forth. He works to find some conclusion. Emma would be better for this. Tessa, even. But he goes with what he knows best.

Shaw steps forward and lays a hand on Valerie's shoulder, squeezing tightly. "It was not your fault, my dear. There is nothing to be done about it now, but move on, but it was not your fault." A pause. "I can help you make sure it doesn't happen again, though." His voice sounds soothing. Comforting. "Would you like that?"

Valerie Killmore has posed:
Later, should the chair be investigated, Hex drew some haphazard markings into the bindings and chair with her own blood. Having scratched the side of her finger till she had a writing implement. With the rocking she starts to slow as soon as that firm hand is on her shoulder, and she looks up, blinking away tears that squeeze out and roll down her face. She grimaces a little, and then she says, "I want to make them pay. Every... last... one of them. Their friends, their puppies, EVERYONE." She calms, quickly after and she says, more quietly, "Hex. I'm Hex."

Quickly glancing around, her eyes bouncing about in their sockets, "I find things, make things, you know, how it is, I'm like a blue haired Tinker Bell. An inventor, an artist, a connoisseur of things that bombshakalaka or pew pews, it's just a thing I do. I listen to them, and then I make them better, with... discarded trash. Like me, I'm better, now, I... I, I'm fine. You can't fix me, but I should repay you... I'm broken, but broken things are, better." Her eyes still moving, like she's telling herself these things. A pause, "Who are you? I'm Hex, did I say that? I did, I'm sorry. Distracted, too... too many..." One of her hands comes out from being trapped and her fingers wiggle as her arm rises, "Voices, too many talking. You know how it is..."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
A slow nod from the Black King. "Pleased to meet you, Hex. I'm Sebastian." His voice is soothing, sympathetic, and he gives her shoulder a squeeze. "Help me find them, and yet. We will make them pay."

He watches her, listening to her speak. Engaging with herself. He cannot follow the threads of conversation. But he knows someone who could. "I have a friend I would like you to speak with, Hex. She is very good at helping people. Sort through their voices." He smiles at her. "Would you like to speak with her? Maybe she can help us find them. And make them pay. We can all do it together. Would you like that?" He speaks like a malevolent Mister Rogers as she watches her squirm.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
There's a quirk of her mouth to the side, and Hex is dipping her head some, and then up, and then tilting to the side a little bit, and she nods - just a touch, "You'd help me? Help me, ME, after I blew up all your tasty tiny chips?" Questions the bluehaired woman, as she takes in a deep breath, "I should be helping you. Really - that seems fair, and I could really decorate this place up. Glow in the dark paint, some graffiti over there, and some directions, maybe on the wall. You never know who you might be interrogating... what if they don't know how to be interrogated? It's a problem, believe you me."

Her tone has shifted back to more when she was first brought into the room. She lets out a little huff, and then wipes her eyes, big full pawing at them, side swiped and then her hands rubbed down her pants to dry them. "Nice, nice to meet you Mister Sebastian."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
"Oh, yes, you should be helping me, as well. We can help each other." Another smile from Sebastian. This one almost seems genuine. "This is not where I need your help, of course, but given time, I think we could find some applications of your talents."

He gives another nod as she seems to...normalize...a bit. "It is nice to meet you, Hex. I feel like we may have a lot to talk about in the future."

Valerie Killmore has posed:
"Oh, okay, right. I'll be helping you. And then you can help me, if I prove... that I'm good enough to deserve it." There's a quick smile on one side, frown on the other, dismissing her own idea pretty quickly, but she sits upright more. Then slumps her shoulders again, "Well, we can talk, right, sure, yep, you are probably very busy." She mentions and then looks to the guard, "Not like that guy, does he just stand there?" And she shakes her head. Then offers, "Future, yep, later, future, we'll talk more. You, and I. Yep. Just tell me where to go... and I'll be there."