Voice; @the.boneless Can't hurt feelings when there's none there

[ragnarsson]

[It's the early morning, so early some might still consider it to technically be part of the night. Deal with it, people, he cares nothing about your sleeping schedules. The only reason he's up this early is his left leg is aching and won't stop. Ah, the thrills of having a disease that create brittle bones easily. So he's bored and this is what he's left to do: bug all of you until he can get back to sleep.]

Serious question time. What does a conscience feel like? In detail, if you don't mind. Or, if you're like me and don't have one, what does empathy feel like?

[This has been on his mind as of late. Blame talks with guilt-ridden ex-assassins he's had. Ivar's been thinking a lot about it. He can fake the latter to some degree, but the former has never much bothered him, which does explain why killing comes so easily to him.]

Comments

[ragnarsson]

What, you mean like the next plot I have against you? I wonder what it would take to unlock that door of yours...

[He'll just let Dodger marinate on that information for a little bit so his natural paranoia can grow ever higher.]

It's called learning and applying that knowledge to situations. I'm sure you did that once upon a time before the alcohol burned your brain out.

[Mean? Yes. Honest? Also yes.]

[smokedout]

[Hm... maybe that truce won't be very long-lived after all. Not that he expected it to be.]

Try it. I really dare you to. If you think I haven't planned for someone to try and get in, you really are as dumb as I think you are.

[Sure, he doesn't have much for a defense system, not the type that wouldn't endanger his belongings... but give a man the basic concept of a venom mine and a healthy supply of hallucinogenic fear serum, and he can work wonders.]

If you haven't learned what a conscience is by 16, you're not working very hard to learn.

[ragnarsson]

To that, I only have two words for you. Challenge accepted.

[Which one of them is smarter? Only time will tell. But Ivar's always been fond of the game of chess for the reason that he likes to think five moves ahead of people at all times.]

Yes, because so many Vikings just sit around and talk about their feelings in between burning Christians alive.

[Dodger gets an eye roll for that.]

People here are a little more introspective. I'm using that to my advantage.

[smokedout]

[He lets a quiet laugh out at the phrase of "burning Christians". He's been doing a little of that himself, in his own way.. hehehe.]

I grew up on the streets, kid, gangsters don't exactly chat about their feelings either. That's why you don't just sit around for information people are willing to give...

[Ivar knows enough about his sick obsession with learning how people work, that he doesn't really see the need to hide it.]

Lemme make one thing clear, though - if I find you in my room, I'm not just going to kill you. I'm going to keep you around until I decide to kill you, and we'll see how long you stay brave about it.

[ragnarsson]

It's the middle of the night and I had nothing better to do. It's gotten good results thus far.

[Dodger is treated to a flat look from Ivar at his threats. He looks completely unimpressed.]

You're under some sad delusion that someday I'm actually going to be afraid of you. That's never going to happen.

[smokedout]

I've broken stronger men than you. At the end of the day, you're a child with an ax and I'm a trained information broker with a few centuries of technological advancement on you. I can break you down and mold you into whatever I want, if you give me the motivation.

[He reaches slowly to adjust one of the wraps on his wrists, showing off the knuckles that read DIE? across them. Sure, he knows Ivar probably can't read, but it's a habit that's become second-nature when threatening others.]

[ragnarsson]

You're a small, petty man with a very large ego. You think because you've survived this far in life that you know everything about it.

[But Ivar knew even with his limited experience that life could always surprise a man. He planned to make sure Dodger never got bored around him.]

The day I break down under your care is when I'll be dead.

[smokedout]

[His eyes narrow with that, and he smirks.]

I'll see you in my room, kiddo.

[And with that, he shuts off his end of the feed.]