[ It may be horrible, but he's flattered in the way any narcissist would be to hear they've been caught on the prime slot news. Nevermind that he's dying in this broadcast ( that's another concern for another time ), his Brother has seen himself worried enough to reach out.
Of course, this just may translate as a general happiness to hear that he could be dying soon as far as Taneleer is concerned. ]
[And--there's that confusing warmth Taneleer's registering, coming from the other end! His Brother is...effusing about this. Bubbling, like champagne poured into a flute. He's enjoying hearing something like this somehow. (Oh, but he wouldn't really be if he knew...ah, but time will tell if he'll figure this out.)
And this answer of his. Could it be that he's too distracted by news of his own death? Or--] What does it matter.
[ While Topaz is important, she's easily second fiddle to his fellow immortal. And wow, what a dodge! En Dwi Gast can only imagine the pouting that's going on right now. His presence leans a little against Taneleer, nudging him. ]
I'm sorry, but that isn't an acceptable answer. Try again.
[The Collector simultaneously bellows, releasing a terrible groan, while impulsively twisting his torso so that his elbow would block his Older Brother's nudge (albeit a bit too late, but, then again, this sort of thing is common betwixt older and younger siblings).] No.
[A question lost. A question lost!] Now I repeat my previous inquiry: do you still care for her?
[ What a brat. What a brat! En Dwi Gast can feel his fight, and while he yields a little, he isn't letting go of this proximity. He can sense Taneleer is in pain, perhaps even feel some of it himself, but he knows there's very little he can do to help him. There's more to that pain than folds of nerves; the best En Dwi's ever seemed to be able to do in the past is either pique the endocrine system into numbing things or putting the man out entirely. Of course, now that they're playing this game, he's unable to try either. ]
You know it's only going to get worse for you if you don't try to swallow something, even if it's that nutrient jelly. I know you've got plenty of that, so don't be a fool. And don't think I won't tattle to your little canine friend.
[No! космо couldn't be allowed into this! The prying little creature might attempt to dig into his ailing master's mind, and then his blabbermaw--] You bring my Head of Security into this game, you may very well wind up forfeiting and, then, you wouldn't be able to ask a boon if you would be victorious.
[It's a cruel thing, truly, pitting his Elder Sibling's need to win against his concern for his younger sib. But there are just some things Taneleer absolutely cannot allow now. Not while he's in this state and so psychically unprepared for another element to be thrown in too unexpectedly. Under no circumstances could En Dwi Gast learn the entire contents of his vision or learn the true reason for his sibling's headache.
I can always wait until the game is done to do so, Brother. You might consider taking care of yourself in the meantime so I don't have to take such a measure.
[ Nice try, little bro.
But then... with this priority sorted and an ultimatum dispensed... ]
Your answer is "yes".
Are you also a participant in this vision, a tangible witness of my demise?
[Tivan has found himself hunched too horribly over his dispatch device, with the screen too close to his face. What terrible posture! And at his age, even! The blond stops to breathe for a spell and, after straightening his back, so that he leans more into his chair, he sends this:] No.
[So there is no falling out between the pair of them, and, yet, his Brother cannot bring her to Terra.] Was Topaz taken by a greater foe than you?
[ The dust is still running, seeping down into the bowl, and the flow is a soothing thing for him to not only observe, but hold in check. His lower lip hurts, and he thumbs it, but finds no breach in the skin.
A greater foe than him? Oh, there's your mistake, Taneleer. ]
[Yeah, Tivan really should have thought of the implication there but he'd missed it; he's still not really seeing it either, so oops.] Of course. He kills everyone, like he's always done when I'd seen him. [ahaha ok he probably said too much there, but, dadgummit, he really loathes the Purple People Eater.]
Did she willingly choose to leave you for good, then? [Only other option he can think of at this time.]
Honestly from what I've heard of him, I have to doubt your vision. I'd like to think he'd have to stand up first and I haven't seen a record of that happening in a good millinea. Have you?
[ Obviously the best way to combat this revelation is by throwing some shade. ]
No.
Was it a violent death? Right now I would think it'd have to be, smearing me over the cosmos like the finest swatch of paint.
[Taneleer's only told En Dwi vague basic things, things that he'd probably already known or heard of prior to this. But not the details. The blond senses something running down his temples. Are those--yes, sweatdrops. He's sweating. Ah, this is ridiculous. Truly. The man knows this, while he wipes this wetness away with gentle flicks of his fingers.
But this latest question tho.] I'm taking the penalty for this, Brother; I refuse to answer this question.
That's two down for you now. I'm at my 10th question. I think I'd like to let you be the first to name your stake, since you let me have the first question.
But for my question: Does the concept of my death make you feel sad?
[There aren’t really many things Taneleer can feel anymore. His nerve endings have simply weakened. His body doesn’t respond as it did to chemicals it produced (like the equivalent of dopamine) . He’d simply seen too much, lived through too much.
But the thought of losing his Brother—] As much as I am able.
Should I win, I want you to take over Terra. I would offer whatever aid I could to this cause, if you should need it.
You know, I've always considered this particular sentiment of yours to be redundant. As if anyone could possibly do more than they're able or as if the term isn't completely subjective.
It seems you're having a hard time following the rules of this game, so I'll reiterate. The answers are: yes, no, I don't know, and sometimes.
Some answers simply can't be divided neatly into those categories, especially not an answer not like this.
[Big Bro really wants to hear it aloud, doesn't he? (Or, at least, receive written confirmation.) He so craves to hear how this will tear his little Bro apart.
Sorry Bro.] It's a yes, a no, a sometimes, and an I don't know. When you organize a fight and you already know what's going to happen, do you put on the proper expression for those that didn't share your same knowledge? Do you force yourself to feel what you know you ought to be expected to feel?
[ No, he didn't think it'd be that easy. It hadn't stopped him from being frustrated, however. He also suspected a veiled demand for information would yield him something more than what seemed to him a pithy platitude. ]
You may only put forth one question at a time, Brother. Choose.
[ There's such a wry slither of a smirk across his face, grim. ]
I didn't intend those to be my questions, they were only hypothetical. [Weren't they supposed to be having a half-time bit when they'd announce what stakes they'd be playing for?
Oh, Brother.
Taneleer licks the meaty bit of his thumb and pushes his lower lip into this moistened part. A sort of makeshift icepack, a slightly stinging, self-soothing method.] What are you playing to gain from me, Brother?
Free answers? Taneleer, you know me better than that.
[ Not that he hadn't, perhaps, given a few things out anyway.
He rises out of his seat, moving to pick up the bowl, but he continues to keep the communicator on a feed that's as tied to his brain as Taneleer is, if more simply. ]
If I win, we'll be together during this next act. I'll come to Knowehere if I must.
[ The Grandmaster stares as the bowl he'd been carrying shatters brilliantly across the tile of their kitchen, spraying ceramic and dust everywhere. A shard knicks his bare ankle, revealing a slice of aqua and a single rivulet of the blood down the top of his foot. He inhales, but it's an effort to will the breath out of him again. ]
That isn't how bets work. Your approval or lack thereof is incidental.
[Reflexively, Taneleer's toes curl up. His legs intertwine at the ankles, soothing a pain that isn't there.] It would be dishonest to have you play for something that can't be guaranteed; I need to remain here, Brother, to do something that I must.
He shuts his eyes, kneading at his forehead and pinching the bridge of his nose. His injured foot taps its sandal-clad toes on the floor a few times, agitated. The shards and dust all bounce in time to it, seeping back towards him as if by a slow gravitational pull. ]
I can bring my own accommodations too. But is it really so close now you can't make a little excursion?
[This is the tricky bit of precognitive abilities. You get to take a peeksie at what’s to come, but your peeksie lacks a timestamp. Taneleer doesn’t know exactly when or how long he’ll have, before the inevitable should come to his doorstep, but the one thing that he knows for certain is that he can’t involve his Elder Brother with this.
The ancient resettles himself where he sits, shifting his weight into his chair and relying less on his own strength to support himself.] I don’t know. There, see that. I’m playing the game correctly now. [Albeit with a wordier answer, but this follows to the spirit of the rules more or less. Because they’re totally still playing.] Has Topaz gone somewhere you can’t reach her?
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Of course, this just may translate as a general happiness to hear that he could be dying soon as far as Taneleer is concerned. ]
I don't know. I think so.
Have you eaten a real meal in the last 72 hours?
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And this answer of his. Could it be that he's too distracted by news of his own death? Or--] What does it matter.
Do you still care for Topaz?
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I'm sorry, but that isn't an acceptable answer. Try again.
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[A question lost. A question lost!] Now I repeat my previous inquiry: do you still care for her?
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You know it's only going to get worse for you if you don't try to swallow something, even if it's that nutrient jelly. I know you've got plenty of that, so don't be a fool. And don't think I won't tattle to your little canine friend.
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[It's a cruel thing, truly, pitting his Elder Sibling's need to win against his concern for his younger sib. But there are just some things Taneleer absolutely cannot allow now. Not while he's in this state and so psychically unprepared for another element to be thrown in too unexpectedly. Under no circumstances could En Dwi Gast learn the entire contents of his vision or learn the true reason for his sibling's headache.
Tivan could not allow it!]
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[ Nice try, little bro.
But then... with this priority sorted and an ultimatum dispensed... ]
Your answer is "yes".
Are you also a participant in this vision, a tangible witness of my demise?
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[So there is no falling out between the pair of them, and, yet, his Brother cannot bring her to Terra.] Was Topaz taken by a greater foe than you?
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A greater foe than him? Oh, there's your mistake, Taneleer. ]
No.
Does Thanos kill me?
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Did she willingly choose to leave you for good, then? [Only other option he can think of at this time.]
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[ Obviously the best way to combat this revelation is by throwing some shade. ]
No.
Was it a violent death? Right now I would think it'd have to be, smearing me over the cosmos like the finest swatch of paint.
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But this latest question tho.] I'm taking the penalty for this, Brother; I refuse to answer this question.
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But for my question: Does the concept of my death make you feel sad?
Alright I’m gonna hit the hay after this, but this intense 10 out of twenty questions has been fun
But the thought of losing his Brother—] As much as I am able.
Should I win, I want you to take over Terra. I would offer whatever aid I could to this cause, if you should need it.
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It seems you're having a hard time following the rules of this game, so I'll reiterate. The answers are: yes, no, I don't know, and sometimes.
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[Big Bro really wants to hear it aloud, doesn't he? (Or, at least, receive written confirmation.) He so craves to hear how this will tear his little Bro apart.
Sorry Bro.] It's a yes, a no, a sometimes, and an I don't know. When you organize a fight and you already know what's going to happen, do you put on the proper expression for those that didn't share your same knowledge? Do you force yourself to feel what you know you ought to be expected to feel?
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You may only put forth one question at a time, Brother. Choose.
[ There's such a wry slither of a smirk across his face, grim. ]
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Oh, Brother.
Taneleer licks the meaty bit of his thumb and pushes his lower lip into this moistened part. A sort of makeshift icepack, a slightly stinging, self-soothing method.] What are you playing to gain from me, Brother?
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[ Not that he hadn't, perhaps, given a few things out anyway.
He rises out of his seat, moving to pick up the bowl, but he continues to keep the communicator on a feed that's as tied to his brain as Taneleer is, if more simply. ]
If I win, we'll be together during this next act. I'll come to Knowehere if I must.
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It's a childish wish, isn't it? It's children that want that which they hadn't tasted in so long.
It's children that want that which they must be denied.] You can't have me.
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That isn't how bets work. Your approval or lack thereof is incidental.
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[ Once he'd made some arrangements here, maybe.
He shuts his eyes, kneading at his forehead and pinching the bridge of his nose. His injured foot taps its sandal-clad toes on the floor a few times, agitated. The shards and dust all bounce in time to it, seeping back towards him as if by a slow gravitational pull. ]
I can bring my own accommodations too. But is it really so close now you can't make a little excursion?
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The ancient resettles himself where he sits, shifting his weight into his chair and relying less on his own strength to support himself.] I don’t know. There, see that. I’m playing the game correctly now. [Albeit with a wordier answer, but this follows to the spirit of the rules more or less. Because they’re totally still playing.] Has Topaz gone somewhere you can’t reach her?