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video; 001.
[The video flickers on without any trouble. The console's familiar enough that Lex doesn't have to fumble with it to get it working the way he wants. Behind him is the large space of a luxurious room that obviously originates from the Metal Sector. He couldn't see the harm in letting the, uh, 'citizens' of this In-Between see where he stands on trivial matters like his choice of interior decoration and he'd even gone and tidied up some before the broadcast, or at least that's what it looks like with two small cuts above his right eyebrow nothing but thin red lines now as opposed to the angry marks of earlier.]
[And the young man himself is seated comfortably, leaning to one side, legs crossed somewhere off-screen, left arm propped up on the table where the communicating device rests. A finger twitches and, right, he doesn't have anything around to grab a hold of at the moment. And so he begins to speak.] 'Tu Vishan. An In-Between of life, death, and dreaming.'
[And he has a sort of hushed voice despite the obvious intention to project to, well, the audience. And there's some light in his eyes that signals amusement-- or something resembling it. Excitement is either good or bad, never both. There's no upturn of his lips, no creased brow. He shifts, sitting straighter, peering closer into the camera, damn well expecting someone out there to listen.]
I'm supposed to believe this?
[He expects someone to listen, not to answer, because he just goes on.] The Kedan were generous enough to offer the explanation that I might not be dead, and to be frank, I appreciate any attempt of reassurance on the matter. I'd put more faith in it if I hadn't also heard the turtle had been in danger of dying. Spending the rest of my years aboard an ailing reptile wasn't exactly the life I envisioned. [He can believe abduction and drugs, but no deep sleep of his will ever revolve around an animal so stupid and slow. His voice turns wry. He knows he's not dead. He knows he can't be fully alive. The... Kedan were nothing from his waking world. That could only mean one thing left to figure out.]
[He's still seemingly calm. He's still only just sitting, just talking like he can see the company across the screen already. Like it's only a conference call he's taking from his desk. But now he sighs and he wants to smirk, but he doesn't. And now he'll be waiting for an answer.]
So who's the big dreamer?
[Show yourself, mastermind. A clear challenge, but after a second he tacks on a detail with clear concern and some well meaning urgency.] I also heard something about a clinic in trouble. Is there anything I can do to help?
[And the young man himself is seated comfortably, leaning to one side, legs crossed somewhere off-screen, left arm propped up on the table where the communicating device rests. A finger twitches and, right, he doesn't have anything around to grab a hold of at the moment. And so he begins to speak.] 'Tu Vishan. An In-Between of life, death, and dreaming.'
[And he has a sort of hushed voice despite the obvious intention to project to, well, the audience. And there's some light in his eyes that signals amusement-- or something resembling it. Excitement is either good or bad, never both. There's no upturn of his lips, no creased brow. He shifts, sitting straighter, peering closer into the camera, damn well expecting someone out there to listen.]
I'm supposed to believe this?
[He expects someone to listen, not to answer, because he just goes on.] The Kedan were generous enough to offer the explanation that I might not be dead, and to be frank, I appreciate any attempt of reassurance on the matter. I'd put more faith in it if I hadn't also heard the turtle had been in danger of dying. Spending the rest of my years aboard an ailing reptile wasn't exactly the life I envisioned. [He can believe abduction and drugs, but no deep sleep of his will ever revolve around an animal so stupid and slow. His voice turns wry. He knows he's not dead. He knows he can't be fully alive. The... Kedan were nothing from his waking world. That could only mean one thing left to figure out.]
[He's still seemingly calm. He's still only just sitting, just talking like he can see the company across the screen already. Like it's only a conference call he's taking from his desk. But now he sighs and he wants to smirk, but he doesn't. And now he'll be waiting for an answer.]
So who's the big dreamer?
[Show yourself, mastermind. A clear challenge, but after a second he tacks on a detail with clear concern and some well meaning urgency.] I also heard something about a clinic in trouble. Is there anything I can do to help?
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I - uh. Grife. I'm sorry. I just figured - you know, you're young and. ShitIhopeitisn'tasideeffectforsomethinglikechemo. I'm sorry.
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[He just won't shut up, and even though he speaks quickly Lex still catches the tail end of it. He has a habit of straining his hearing when the talk is about him. He's too good to frown, but any hint of amusement has burned out from him. It's his turn to just shrug.]
It's fine. [If you believe this, you're an idiot.] I've been bald since I was nine. I'm used to people making assumptions based on appearances. I think things could always be worse. I could be sick and need chemo, for instance. [The 'glad I don't!' is silently added at the end by the form of one curt nod.]
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I'm sorry. At least. Hey. At least it wasn't a bad assumption? I mean. Throw in a Skynyrd tee and some boots and you're golden.
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[But he'll let it slide, mostly because he's sick about it, and because they're going in circles. He just can't hang up on the guy yet, so.]
Thanks, but that's not really my style.
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[These are genuine questions.]
I know when I turned up I was like "Dude, so we are so not in Keystone anymore."
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Apart from being forced to leave behind my business, my friends, and my family [The emphasis isn't all that kind, not all that cold either.] I believe I'm adjusting reasonably well. [All migraine-inducing questions aside.]
You're from Keystone or is that the first city that came to mind when making an inevitable Oz reference?
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[Everyone had left friends and family behind. Nobody liked it. But some people were lucky, like Bart, and found them again here. Big turtle, small world. ]
Oh. Nah, Keystone City: born and mostly raised. If I was going for the Oz reference alone, I would've straight up quoted.
[Bart is looking more interested. Someone that should've known his hometown didn't, and there's that panda from Valley of Peace so he's aware locations aren't universal.
Why does it matter? And don't say the Combines suck. They're in rebuilding phase. Of course they're gonna suck.
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[Lex finds himself relaxing, taking an easy breath and trying not to roll his eyes at the mention of football.]
I don't entertain myself with barbarisms. [He has yet to keep friends long enough to vouch for or against that-- it's great.]
I live in Smallville. [Not lived. He's a stubborn man. He's invested a lot in the town. It's his home now. Metropolis merits a passing mention, large as it is.] But I own a good deal of Metropolis. [He does still have his LuthorCorp shares, and it might be stretching it a little to say that it owned Metropolis. But everyone knows that his father's company was a monster.]
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Dude. Really? We live in Kansas. I think you're one of the first people I've met who hates football.
[Oh yes, he knows where your rinky-dink small town is, and he is uber curious about you now.]
Wait - you live in Smallville. But. You own land in Metropolis? What, are the buildings too tall for you out there?
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You'll honestly tell me you've never heard of LuthorCorp?
[It hasn't come up, but there is, in Lex's mind, no way he can't not recognize him. Keystone was a neighbor, after all, another city in a state of towns.]
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Lex Luthor.
[Ho. Ly. Shit. How did he miss that? Except the guy is a comparative kid to what he should be.]
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[But it always did do something to his insides to observe how quickly a person will change the second his name leaves his mouth. Power, he thinks. His father did this. It's not pleasant, but it's what he has to work with and the tool is always ready for use.]
The one and only.
[A click of his tongue to boyishly emphasize.]
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The more he thinks about it, the more he'd like to take a boot to Lex's face now when he has the chance. But with time and cause-and-effect always being so muddled, Bart's worried that that'd end up being the reason he ends up wearing a giant asshat (besides, y'know, covering up the chrome dome) - because some kid in a costume gave him a well-deserved broken nose.
But Bart's not in his costume right now. He can still smile at the mental image like it's the happiest happy thought ever. He might not even need pixie dust to make it to Never Never Land right now.]
Huh. Cool. Well, Lex -
[He can call you Lex, right? Since we're all such buddies on the turtle.]
Welcome to the party.
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And don't I get to know your name?
[He'll be more than happy to accept the welcome and click off the feed afterwards.]
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However, Bart's already said his name on this internet (inTURnet? He's trying to find a term for it in his head. It's a work in progress). Refusing it here would piss Lex off, short-run, and make Bart look like an idiot, long-run, when all the guy'd need to do is go a ways back in the feed.]
My name's Bart Allen.
[Said like a challenge, somehow, all too-tight smile and rising chin. Ordinarily, he would apologize for not introducing himself. There is nothing ordinary about Luthor.]
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Alright, Bart, I'll let you get back to whatever's so important. I'd hate to waste any more of your time here. [It's what he feels they've accomplished this far. He doesn't know why Bart's decided to stick around so long but now that he's gained something, he'd rather cut his losses and exit before a headache comes on.]