dramadramaduck

Ou, there we go. Nicely done, nicely done.

He ain't from my world, but he's another guy on here, same kinda thought thing as you. Out of the guys who work under me, I guess there's Kimblee who's kinda like that too, all emptiness and doom and gloom, but I dunno how much of a flowery poet-y guy he is in his off time...

I see. Perhaps I shall speak with him if I ever see him here.

[Or not. It wasn't like Legato was really interested in Kefka, but it might be mildly interesting to meet him and see just how similar they were in their viewpoints. Plus, he could try to get him to join his acting troupe.]

I wouldn't know, but if you are so curious, perhaps you should watch him when he is not working for your group. Though, what does your group do?

[A worthless question, but Legato was a little curious.]

I own a bar. The bunch of them mostly live here 'n work for me. [He snapped and leaned back on the couch, holding out a hand.] That Kimblee ain't the most popular guy in the group, so I'd have to go stalking him or somethin' annoying like that to see what he does in his off time instead of askin' around. [And within a few seconds, someone had brought him a drink--looks like whiskey on the rocks. It was more a matter of showing off than actually wanting a drink, but he'd sip anyway. Can't let Mr. or Mrs. Text be the only theatrical one here. He may have the power of metaphor and complex writing, but Greed has video. At least until this other person figures out their device, Greed figures he has the leg up, with that.

....His self-supposed style will be broken as soon as Legato responds since he'll have to sit back up and lean in to read the text.]

What about you? You seem like kind of an outsider-to-society type, too.

I see. If that's how you wish to use your time, then I would advise you to do so.

[Greed would have the upper hand in terms of being tech savvy for quite awhile, as Legato didn't think there was any point in trying to switch formats right now. For one thing, this was a diary, and for another, there was no point. Right now, his messages had the same effect written as they would if this man could see him speaking. Besides, even if he had switched to video, there wouldn't be anything impressive to see-Legato had retired into his own private quarters to scribble down his thoughts, and his room was rather bare, only containing a bed and a dresser. There wasn't any point in owning any extravagant furniture. It didn't help his plot or dull the pain of living any.

For better or worse, Legato didn't really care about Greed's style, though he did take notice of the stage he sat upon, the props, and the other actor. There were probably more of them that he couldn't see at the moment.

..To be perfectly honest, speaking in plain English without any metaphors or theatrics was terribly dull for Legato. It wasn't something that helped take the sting off life or toy with other people.]

You would be correct in that observation. However, that's not something that really matters.

[After all, when the curtain fell on humanity and all the trash was incinerated, society would burn away as well.]

[Utterly unaware of how bored his audience is--as much for the format as his own infatuation with himself, making him quite certain he's fascinating damn it--he gives an awkward smirk and dismissive shrug at the text.] Well sure, but for you types nothin' really matters, right? So waste some time. If it's fun enough, that fun might look like meaning 'til it wears off.

Hardly. While some things can ease the pain of living, they are still wastes of time that have some delight in them. However, there are things that matter to me. There are things that matter to everyone, even worthless heaps of garbage.

Ah, right, yer hate-crush. There is him.

I told you that I am not romantically infatuated with this person. Is there any reason why you refuse to believe me?

S'more fun this way.

So that's one way you dull the pain of living. There are a few pleasing things about ramming the cow next to you and watching it bleed and fall to the ground, but it is a distraction that should only be used occasionally. Otherwise, you risk biting the tail of a bull and dying before you've reached the end of the play.

[Sure, Legato wanted every single human to die, but that didn't mean rushing into it was a good idea or that he liked it when humans he didn't want to deal with antagonized him. After all, if every man, woman, and child was going to die eventually, why rush to meet it without a reason?]

Back to the artsy talk, huh? [Sip.] But I can follow this one. It's a threat, right?

I tried to make it simple enough for you to understand. Much like your fighting, my language is part of who I am. However, it's only partially a warning against me. I don't know if you sit in my theater, and even if you do, I don't know what I can do from here.

[While the idea in Legato's head was terribly petty and worthless, he was interested in seeing this guy suffer, even a little. A minor tragedy, unworthy of the name, but it would still be interesting to try, especially if it worked.

So, Legato would try to use his powers to manipulate Greed's arm to dump his glass of whiskey on the floor. He had no idea if his powers would work over technology like this, but if nothing happened, that was fine. The whole thing was a petty, worthless gesture, after all.]

Looks like I got to you enough that you can't keep it simple for a simple guy no more, eh? Well, it's normal to get worked up when it comes to someone buggin' you about yer crush I... huh? [And said arm moves as expected; with a video feed, Legato can see that arm move, mechanically as directed rather than with any natural movement, as if being maneuvered by something externally rather than with the proper chain of muscle response. He looks over to his arm with his eyes wide, surprised but not really panicked. Yet. The forearm turns, the first action he tries to actually resist, brows furrowing, that smirk straining into a frustrated glare at the disobedient appendage.

With an annoyed growl of a breath, there's not much he can do besides watch the whiskey be dumped onto the floor. With his arm back under his control, he jerks his arm back as if from someone who had been holding it, a smile incredibly strained and utterly failing to mask his frustration. It's important to grin, not to let them see you sweat, but that tension is pretty palpable even if it's not quite fear.

This melodramatic rambling text nut had his curiosity. Now he has his attention.]

...What are you?

Edited 2014-07-14 01:37 (UTC)

[If Legato knew how to use the video function and had been, Greed would have been able to see the smirk on Legato's face as he slowly but surely managed to manipulate this person's arm to dump their drink onto the floor. It was a twisted smirk, one that only grew as he saw how he was able to throw this person off-balance.

Those surprised, wide eyes, the way he tried to keep that cool smile on his face, even though the amount of rage and surprise-and possibly fear-he felt at what was happening kept him from succeeding, the annoyed growl, and the obvious tension this person felt..it was marvelous, even if his manipulation could have been a little faster. Legato hadn't full expected his little test of the stage effects to work, but now that he had and gotten a small bit of petty revenge off the person who had the wrong idea about his relationships, he was thoroughly enjoying it. It wasn't as sweet and refreshing as he thought his eventual tragedy would be..but for a human target-at least, what he thought was-it was enough.

However, since he was sticking with what he knew Greed would be able to see none of that, for better or worse.]

A human. An interesting piece of garbage, but one that shall still have to eventually be incinerated if others are to survive. Though this is quite interesting, to see that I can give actors stage directions from far away. I shall have to make use of it in the future.

[If he could manipulate dozens of humans in other realities to kill themselves and have Vash witness it all, powerless to do a thing about it..that would be a wonderful act to lead up to the climax and falling action.]

As for simplicity, I merely find it less enjoyable to use. A cake without frosting is missing something very valuable.

[If Legato knew how to use the video function and had been, Greed would have been able to tell that Legato was a man, too. As it is, hearing about a 'him' and assuming a romantic angle, even if wasn't sure himself if he meant it or was just dicking around (though the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive), has left his mental image as something nonspecifically female. With that specific notion uncorrected, it sticks.]

Hn. Not a lotta guys're into bossy girls like that, y'know. Especially not if they're the type into bein' called "Master."

[The glass is still in hand even if emptied. Finding his hand gripping it too tightly and pretty sure that's his own annoyance rather than any external control, he sets it down and gives a 'stop' signal with his hand to someone probably off behind the computer to say he doesn't need another one.]

[Before, Legato had thought that this person had just mistaken his feelings of hate and the tragedy he was eventually going to carry out for revenge against spurned love. It was a foolish assumption to make, one that was completely and utterly wrong..but it was better than being wrong about everything, even Legato's gender. While his gender was, in the end, meaningless, it was still irritating to have this person be wrong about it. It was enough to make Legato's smile shrink, even if it didn't disappear completely. Greed's lingering annoyance was still delightful to watch.]

Again, the play I'm producing is a tragedy, not a romantic one. And while it does not matter much, I am not a woman.

[The smirk kept up in a failed attempt to hide less smug sentiments becomes just a little more sincere, if edgier, satisfied with something even in his annoyance. "Does not matter much." Ha! For Greed, ot matters more than just about anything he's said this entire time! If he's a man, at some point, he can hit him back.]

Not a whole lotta things're more tragic than a one-sided gay romance.

[While Greed's smirk became more sincere, Legato's smile faded away. While the show this person had put on for him had been quite entertaining, it was also quite fleeting, like the joy eating a small bag of doughnut holes would have been. While it was wonderful that his small test had succeeded, it was also a reminder of why it was so unsatisfying to just toy with people without doing anything physically or mentally painful.

And if Greed ever got the chance to hit him back..Legato wouldn't hold back if they ended up in the same reality and he tried something.]

There are several things more tragic. It is why the script I've penned doesn't have any one-sided homosexual romances..though I can always make revisions. However, the tragedy is not for me, and I have no romantic feelings toward this person or anyone else.

[Hey, if Vash eventually developed romantic feelings toward a guy, he wasn't below including that in the tragedy, though Legato doubted he would.]

If you don't think they're tragic enough, you should'a been here for the "Ryuudou Issei" script.

[Already, he's feeling back in control again. Whether he can tell even through text that he's getting to him or is just that much more on point with the idea that this is someone he can handle, he relaxes, though that smirk's not quite as full of good-ill will as it might have been the first time. Now his interest has to be a little more layered.

But Greed's used to most things being able to be handled with brute force. Even bigger things with a greater propensity for brute force just require good timing and targeting! There aren't too many problems that Greed accepts can't be solved with a good right hook.]

What, too humble to write, direct and star in your own production? Looks like you're even a hell of a one-man special effect crew...

Edited 2014-07-15 13:34 (UTC)

Oh? I don't have that script in front of me. Perhaps you could tell me, if you read the script and saw the play.

[If Greed won't tell him, Legato won't consider it a major loss. While his small moment of fun had come and gone, he wasn't too upset or angry at this person. More puzzled than anything, really. He was like a horsefly that just couldn't resist trying to sting something that could swat it in an instant. Odd, and annoying, but not something that could annoy him in the long term. He wasn't like Vash, though that small effects test had been enjoyable.

If it ever came to where Greed could try to use his right hook on Legato, he would need a lot of planning to even get in a blow. And no one would really be able to save his sorry ass if he succeeded. While Legato didn't go out of his way to rip through every piece of trash he met, there were limits to how much he could take.]

Hardly. While there are more actors in this production than just myself, I have put together this whole production. But any play, tragic or not, is never for the actors. It is for the audience and their reactions, and a tragedy must be able to move the audience. A failed romance wouldn't cause them enough suffering.

[There are three problems Greed will accept cannot be handled with good old fashioned violence: women, mortality (death, hunger, aging, and other such concepts had yet to present on the community in humanoid form for the opportunity to punch), and musical lawyers. If he survives any opportunity to learn that psychic playwrights also belong on said list, it's questionable that the lesson would get through his thick skull.

Legato would probably not be shocked to learn that Greed's not renowned for his intelligence.]

You wouldn't like it, it's got a happy end. So let's talk about yer play. Just how much control do you got over the set?

[Legato's already observed how thick Greed's head could be and made the assumption that, unlike a sweet melon, the fruit contained within his thick rind was neither large nor delicious. But..if it took multiple possible encounters to get the lesson through, it wouldn't be a total loss. He would be able to enjoy Greed's pain over and over again as he failed to understand.]

Then simply tell me the tragic parts of the script and leave off the happy ending.

[Sure, even if this other play had a happy ending, it would still be interesting to know of it and the tragedy it contained.]

As for my play, the set is almost the same at any point in the show, but I will be able to conserve on wood for the houses near the end. Really, a tragedy is about the characters, and since I composed the script, it's not difficult to get the actors to memorize their lines and stick to them. Even if I must revise something later, they're working for something they consider very important, so they can easily adapt.

You want story time 'n bar chat you're gonna have to buy me a drink. [He glances at the glass, deciding to chance picking it back up to hold at the camera for emphasis.] One 'n a half.

And you're losin' me again with this metaphor stuff on houses and trees.

[While Legato was a bit curious about the script for the Ryuudou Issei production, he wasn't sure if it was really worth taking orders from-at least, what he thought was-as human when he didn't really want to. While another special effects test would be nice, he didn't know if he could operate someone in his world if they weren't connected to the network.

However, while he wasn't sure if he would-or could-get Greed another drink from here, he would leave the man's glass alone for the moment.] Perhaps I shall give you what you want. I don't know just how well the owner of your theater would take my orders, but you needn't worry about making a fool of yourself again.

[..Not that he hadn't already done so in Legato's eyes, but that was beside the point.]

And, again, in plain English, I live on a desert planet. There's not much one can do to change the setting. However, again, a tragedy is about the characters, all of which, with the exception of my Master, I can move about to my hearts content. Since I am telling my troupe what to do, it isn't difficult to have them move through the script the way I would like them to. Even without any special effects, if they refuse to act, they don't get paid.

[Not that any of them would ever actually get paid in his play, but he wasn't going to tell them that.]

Hn, a fool, huh? [He reads over that line out loud with a teeth-grinding smirk, setting the glass down a little harder than necessary. But he gets that back under control quickly enough, too.

Still, if he's said he doesn't intend to dump it again, he'll believe it. Some would consider that painfully naive. He gives a hand motion again off screen while reading the rest of it.]

Hnnn. Guess if you're on a desert planet the booze can't be that good, huh? The hell're they even gonna make it out of, cactuses? [It's a rhetorical question he doesn't seem to expect an answer to, not waiting for a text reply before going on.] And you don't got Cenz there either. But if you say you'll buy the drink back to make up for this, we'll stay on good terms. We won't worry about little stuff like exactly where or when. It's the thought that counts. I'm an easy goin' guy like that.

[And sure enough, he's brought another drink. Some might say he's just an idiot, but ego can be as much of a hurdle to learning as sheer mental inborn stupidity.]

Edited (Grammar fix) 2014-07-16 11:51 (UTC)

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[Action] Sorry about the Faust quote. I just couldn't leave it alone. ^^;

[Action] Sadly Greed's an ill-read moron and it will go over his head.

[Action] Which means that Legato might pull out a few more quotes here and there to annoy Greed.