ᴏɴᴇ. [ video; later afternoon ]

[secondcomingof]

[ Despite his reputation as a prominent figure, Casval Mass still held a certain aversion to showing his face in public when he deemed it unnecessary. The fact that he's doing so to what he's deduced to be a bunch of strangers, seemingly picked at random by some outside force, makes him all the warier.

But what Casval likes even less than an overabundance of frivolous contact is a serious lack of answers. And answers were nowhere to be found, in this situation. Those strange lights, those strange numbers connecting him to faces and places he didn't recognize, but above all else, that haunting name, Char Aznable, which plagued his dreams and stole away what little sleep he managed to grasp at night.

So even though anxiety prickles through his consciousness, he figures a straightforward effort on his part may be the only way to find those answers he's seeking—and with a click of a button and a flurry of digits he couldn't discard from his memory even if he tried, Casval makes his first appearance on the network. ]

Greetings. This is Captain Casval Mass, though I'm sure that name means nothing to any of you. In fact, from what I've gathered so far, none of our names mean anything to each other.

[ Leaning back in his office chair, Casval folds his hands, staring sternly at his monitor and speaking with a swift, sure tone, lightly accented, the mark of a tested politician. ]

While some of you appear to have written this off as some kind of joke or hoax, I would advise you that such a possibility is highly unlikely. I am no believer in gods or the mystical forces surrounding them, but for now, we have to accept that what's going on is beyond our present capabilities to understand.

And I would like to understand.

Therefore, I would request—merely for the purposes of resolving this matter, mind you, I've no true personal interest in how you may spend your time—that you all tell me a little bit about yourselves. More specifically, any recent happenings in your lives that have stricken you as odd, or out of place, something that you saw, heard, or felt, anything that can might be interconnected. Because we are all accessing this same "network", we must all then share something in common, even if it isn't immediately coming to mind. I, of course, will disclose whatever you wish to know, within reason.

As a final note, I am currently stationed at Fort Turner, on a joint military venture with your country. I don't expect to be staying very long, so if you would prefer to discuss matters in private, feel free to stop on by; just ask for Captain Mass at the gate and they'll wave you on through. [ His face twitches, briefly, as if to say any juvenile jokes regarding my name will result in painful strangling, courtesy of myself. ] We could always use an extra hand or two around the base, if you've skill with a wrench or some related field.

[ Casval bows his head to his audience and offers up a polite smile. ]

I look forward to working with all of you to arrive at a logical, and mutually beneficial, resolution.

[ And click! goes the feed. ]

(( Respond however you like here! Casval will be sitting at his computer drinking tea like a boss or I left it open to anyone interested in some action for swinging on by the base. Public areas only, obviously, since they're not going to let just anyone go wandering around, but other than that have at it. Casval is NOT wearing any mask whatsoever, so you can disregard that in my icons for now. ))

Comments

[masterofbling]

Unless you intend to service patrons by sticking your pretty golden head between their legs, you'll settle for five.

[So he wants to dance, huh? Let's dance.]

You're prettier than most of my girls anyway.

[Big Dick doesn't like being slighted. He's already put more on the table than he originally intended.]

[secondcomingof]

[ Even better than that, sugar. He's British. And not fond of where you're leading this conversation, but if it gets him what he's after, you can make all the snotty little comments you'd like. The wry smile remains. ]

Twenty.

[ Eh, he's fine with a lower number. He's just delighting himself in dicking the Dick around, at this point. ]

Don't underestimate the sway of a decorated captain amongst his fellow kind, Mr. Baelish. They're all about as yippy as that boy when I'm in the room.

[masterofbling]

Ten. I'll make it fifteen if you promise to pay a visit or two. Everything will be on the house for you, of course. A shareholder is owed privileges.

[Sure, wave your influence around like a bitch in heat. As long as you can send the hounds running, he doesn't really care all that much. He's just intent on getting his base of operations established. Once that's done, all the city's secrets will be at his disposal. Including yours, Goldifucks.]

[secondcomingof]

[ His brow lifts at fifteen... with conclusive interest (it's a solid enough figure to pad his accounts), though more notably at the stipulations behind it. ]

Is that truly necessary? If it's all the same to you, I'd much prefer to profit from the sidelines than, [ clearing his throat ] ahem, dirty my hands. I'm sure you understand.

[ Yes, understand and understand fast so he doesn't have to waste anymore time contemplating that gross imagery. This guy's going to run his "gentleman's club" like a slut factory and like bloody hell does he want to participate in that in any sense of the word. ]

[masterofbling]

Clean hands get you ten. If you want fifteen, you're going to have to play pied piper. I'm not a charity.

[Come on, Casval. It will be good for you.]

You don't even have to take any of my girls. Bring in that mistress of yours. We'll help keep your little indiscretions from prying eyes.

[secondcomingof]

Fine.

[ Bullshit. He's not going. You can't make him. You might be able to drag him, but... look, he doesn't like getting touchy-feely, alright? Stop talking about it already. ]

And she's not my mistress, for the record. Nor have I ever taken a lover on the side, of any gender, despite what your tabloid friends may vomit in excess every week.

[ Little indiscretions, though, he has in abundance. Let's not talk about that, either. ]

[masterofbling]

[Oh, he'll get you to come. One way or another, he'll get you to come. He needs to get those soldiers marching in. You'll see your extra five percent after you've paid your dues and no sooner.]

Sure, sure. You're a monk with princess hair. Even if it's true, nobody's gonna buy it. People love a good story. I'm looking forward to writing a riveting tale. Now, has the bard earned his scotch?

[secondcomingof]

[ You are a pompous little dick and he already despises you.

Still pulling out the scotch, though. ]

Less of the bard, more of the bitch, I'd think.

[ Though it is relieving, in a sense, that he doesn't have to put on an unnecessary show of politeness around this person. That got to be tiresome after awhile, and there's something to be said for bringing a little more honesty into the world, even if it was relentlessly brutal beneath the surface. ]

You must be a real treat at parties.

[masterofbling]

[Smug as he is, he'll just sit back and watch Casval pour. Gee thanks, he's quite aware of what he is.

I learned that I'll never win. Not that way. That's their game, their rules. I'm not going to fight them: I'm going to fuck them. That's what I know, that's what I am, and only by admitting what we are can we get what we want.]

I bring the treats to the parties, actually.

[secondcomingof]

You are insufferably crass.

[ And fortunate in that Casval wasn't, at least not in the same ways. Have your cake and eat it too, Richard. Or drink it, rather. That is indeed some very nice scotch he's set out for you—and look, he even poured your glass first—so you'd better be damn grateful he didn't just toss you on out on your scaly ass after business had been concluded.

Naturally, Casval is expecting no gratitude whatsoever. That's what makes the sip of his own glass so blissful: alcohol to wash all the annoyances in his life away. ]

You'll do well here.

[masterofbling]

[Gratitude? What's that? He deserves everything he gets. He earns it. Ain't no beggar or taker here. Look at this faux Republican motherfucker sipping up all your expensive scotch. He's clawed his way up to the big leagues but he doesn't really have a handle on class. Nothing wrong with that. He won't forget where he came from. It's armor. It's what makes him so much better than everyone else. Nothing was handed to him and he didn't just lie back and whine when life decided to fuck him in the ass. Take that, hipster barista whose life is going nowhere. Deal with the market crash, trust fund babies. While you all sink, he'll keep swimming.]

I know.

[And that's a reply to both statements. Playing Han Solo for you, Princess Leia.]

[secondcomingof]

[ He's a damned determined fish, Casval can attest to that much. There's hardly anything respectable about his personality, hardly anything worth salvaging in the morals department, but his tactics were sharp and his tongue sharper still. Both traits that could prove handy. Both traits that he possessed himself.

Never forget where you came from, huh? That's not a half bad philosophy to live by.

But you can take your princess puns and shove it, Dick. This one's in another castle. ]

Have you arranged a contractor for the site yet, or is this still in the planning stages? Projected date of start-up would also be good to know, for the sake of working around my schedule. I'm willing to cover any deficits in costs to an extent, but I'd like to see some raw numbers first before committing resources.

[masterofbling]

Slow down, girl. I just popped the question and you went and said "I want a bigger ring." We're not wedding planning just yet.

[Casval isn't the only person in authority he has to woo. He needs to get more money flowing to get a solid foundation. With any luck, he'll be breaking ground by May.]

[secondcomingof]

[ Okay, princess is definitely pouting now. Feel free to make fun of that. ]

How big of a base do you even have for this operation? Don't tell me you've been blowing smoke this whole time.

[masterofbling]

You look like one of those girls from My Super Sweet Sixteen when you pout. "Daddy, I asked for a red BMW convertible. This is blue..."

[Mocking, he mimics the pout before pressing on with a smile.]

I'm a wizard with numbers. No smoke involved. Just have to tie up a few loose ends.

[secondcomingof]

[ Casval hides a flustered huff behind his glass. ]

Just don't employ too much magic, Mr. Potter. We'll both wind up in hot water if you start casting your net willy-nilly.

[masterofbling]

Thanks, Alan Rickman. I'll do my best not to die too hard.

[secondcomingof]

You're an awful liar and an awful waste of good scotch.

[ But that got him to crack a smirk. ]

Five points from Gryffindor.

[masterofbling]

Nice try. Not my house.

[Come on, Casval. He's a snake, ok? But hey, he'll return that smile before downing the rest of his scotch straight. Yeah, that's a good burn.]

[secondcomingof]

[ It is the best burn, exactly as promised. ]

I'd boot you out of Slytherin the moment I spied your conniving little arse, if that's what you're implying.

[masterofbling]

It's a nice ass.

[Getting up, he lays the glass on the table and winks before turning to leave.]

And you can watch it walk out the door. Later, Severely Snapped.