MoM IC Contact

[khajidont]

Jaime's cell phone is more or less plugged riiiight into his brain, so he tends to pick up like 99% of the time! If not, however...

"Hey, Jaime here! Leave a message, and I'll get back to you ASAP."

Comments

[khajidont]

[Jaime had been just about to ask further questions about Killua's family, but he's duly distracted by his question about who else to look out for around here - something that certainly takes precedent over Jaime's overactive sense of curiosity.] I wouldn't say a lot. There's a lot of good people here - more than you'd expect, considering how few of us get brought in here.

[The public could say what they like about imPorts, but Jaime's glad to have met most of them. He's met people with and without useful powers willing to put their lives and reputations on the line just to help someone else, people capable of going through great hardship and coming through the other side not unscathed, but unbroken.

They're a good bunch.]

But we've got a few bad guys hanging around too. There's this guy going around calling himself the Manipulator. He can get inside people's heads and control them that way. He's bad news.

[gonstop]

[It's a relief to hear that not a "lot" of people are bad, at least from Jaime's perspective. Killua wasn't sure what to expect. When people have power, or are granted power, a lot of things can happen.

But maybe it's fate that this conversation keeps wrapping around to Killua's family, because the mention of someone who can control others through their mind gets a full on frown from Killua and a hidden shudder. Illumi comes to mind near-instantly, and Hisoka's haunting words in their very first greeting about how he could show up nag at the back of his mind.

Outwardly, it's just a serious expression.]

That's no good. Does he use a certain weapon to be able to do that? [Something to look out for, maybe?]

[khajidont]

No, nothing like that. Apparently it's something he could do back home too. See, he's actually a ghost. When he's controlling someone, he actually possesses them - like, you can hear him inside your head. [Jaime taps his temple meaningfully.] Most people can't remember what happens when he possesses you, like a hunk of your life just went missing.

[It hadn't been like that for Jaime. He still remembered bits and pieces of it, and more than that, he had been able to fight - but even that hadn't been enough, not in the end. The Manipulator scares him more than Hisoka does when it comes down to it.

Hisoka could hurt someone. That's all. The Manipulator could make him hurt someone. That's only one of the many reasons why Jaime keeps his powers and his identity a complete secret; he had been meant to be a weapon once before, and he doesn't intend on letting it happen again.]

[gonstop]

[And it's the ghost comment that makes it strike familiar with him. His hands that were relaxed on the table curl fingers over it now, as if he could grip the flat surface.]

That's the one who hurt Kate! [That was a little loud, and when one of the waitresses tosses him a look, he forces himself to relax his arms a little. Still, he's frowning.

Immediately, his own mind is echoing voices, telling him that it's good he didn't go to help. He could have been controlled and done something to hurt someone else. There was no way he could stand up against a power like that. No way at all.

But then, guilt hits him again. No, that risk was something you had to take for friendship! It's no wonder if she didn't consider them as friends... He didn't even go to save her.

He leans back in his seat, slouching the slightest bit.]

...The one with all those hostages. I remember.

[khajidont]

Yeah. The one with all the hostages.

[Jaime scowls. He had been too late for that one, and it's something that makes him mad, even now; though everything seemed to have turned out all right in the end, he should have been there to do something. He's not sure what that something may have been, but he's certain that if he had been aware of it, he would have thought of something, something that didn't involve the Manipulator just hopping into his mind.

He drums his hands on the side of the table, a little restlessly.]

He took one of your friends as a hostage?

[gonstop]

[For now, he lowers his gaze to the table and his hands on it, focusing on pressing his finger tips together. A form of fidgeting.]

Yeah. Kate's been looking out for Gon and I. Gon apparently had a nice conversation with the guy before all that, so I can see why he didn't go, but...

[But he was just afraid. He draws his index fingers away from each other, forming the tiniest sparks of electricity in his thought.] I didn't know anything about his powers. I didn't end up doing anything.

[He stops the electricity briefly, looking back up and across at Jaime. He can see that anger, and he can't help but wonder if that's guilt too. Defensiveness over himself, too? Jaime's kind. Just like Kate.]

Her arm's broken or something. When we went to check on her, it was all wrapped up.

[khajidont]

I saw what happened after it all happened. His demands were...

[Jaime shakes his head, a little regretfully. He's scared of the Manipulator, and he's angry at him too, but even through everything he's done, Jaime pities him. He pities anyone who craves the oblivion of death so badly that they don't care who they have to run through to get it.

The Manipulator's not well. He's not well at all, and instead of letting anyone in to help him, all he does is hurt people with a power that's far more fearsome than most people even realize.]

I don't know if he's ever going to get what he wants while he's still here. Either way, I'm glad your friend's okay. With his power, it could've been a lot worse than a broken arm.

[gonstop]

I guess he's tired of it all.

[Killua follows up on Jaime's thinking with a confirmation of solid understanding on his own. Death was what he was aiming for, right? He's sure that's why Gon didn't go, too. He may not be a bad guy at heart. He was just lost and making a lot of bad decisions.

Killua still didn't think that was right. But Gon saw things more in black and white, didn't he?]

I'm glad, too. I don't want anyone to have to get hurt, here. [When he'd first arrived, it'd seemed like a safe haven. Somewhere he and Gon could have fun and live normally, leaving the seriousness of home back there. That lasted all of two minutes before every crushing reality met them full force. Time, Kite, Hisoka, Chrollo, now Alluka-- He sighs a little, letting a bit of that out as he slumps forward over the table, resting his elbows on the top.]

I want to keep training and see what I can learn about everyone who's here. [To prevent further cases like this. He thinks Jaime will be able to understand his feelings there.]

[khajidont]

Not a bad way of going about things.

[Caution is never a bad thing. It's only when it blooms into full-out paranoia when it becomes dangerous, and from the quick way Killua's managed to befriend him, Jaime doesn't see it going downhill that badly anytime soon. The wonderful thing about this place is that it's a place for second chances, even for people like Hisoka and the Manipulator - it's up to each and every one of them to decide what they'll do with it.]

But it sounds like you've got your hands pretty full already. [Jaime rests his elbows on the table, propping his chin up on the heel of his hand.]

I'm glad you asked me for help with the code, at least. You guys don't have to deal with any of this alone, and I don't mean just me - I meant it when I said that there's a lot of good people here. They wouldn't want to see you or your sister get hurt either.

[gonstop]

Yeah. That's what friends are for, right?

[He smiles genuinely, face lighting up in the process. He's learned that much from his friends, and no matter what his brother or anyone else tries to say, he's going to stand by them. His father said it, too. In the end, Killua does know he can rely on his friends-- there's just a point where it feels like when they rely on him in return, he can't give them enough. Or anything at all.]

I'm always suuuuuuuper busy. Gon's always trying to get into stupid things, and he can get carried away while talking to Hisoka. But if we have this code, it should make it harder for him to pop up in our other conversations. I don't know if Chrollo is watching, either.

[Smiling a little bit, there's a light of something mischievous in his eyes as he leans over the table.] Say, Jaime, is this your power? [Everyone gets one, right?]

Even my big brother would need a computer to write out something like that. You memorized it?

[khajidont]

Yep, [Jaime says, pressing a finger to his lips, motioning for Killua to keep it on the down-low. It's not the whole truth, but he just wouldn't feel right straight out lying after all this. The only thing is, that's not the power he's told everyone else he had gotten; the sheer breadth of his technological abilities is something best kept a secret lest they lose their effectiveness. It's a lot easier to tell everyone that he has the simple ability to scan people's bodies to read the state of their health and genetics.

It's a creepier power, certainly, but it's a lot easier to convince people that being able to tell whether or not someone has diabetes is harmless as opposed to the ability to hack into security cameras across the city.] My power's gotten me handy with technology. Pretty handy, right?

[Still, it'd benefit him to change the subject before Killua pries any deeper, and he's presented a handy little segue just for him.]

You've got a big family, don't you? I think you've mentioned your big brother to me before.

[gonstop]

That's so cool!

[Despite the finger to Jaime's lips, he says that a little loudly, grinning sheepishly when he's tossed yet another glance. But right, he's got it. Keep quiet-- it makes sense, and he knows that feeling all too well. He may have revealed a trick or two up his sleeve to Jaime, but he hasn't shown him everything. Even Gon was in the dark about a lot for a while.

The topic shifts, though, and he blinks back to follow it.]

Oh, yeah. [Holding up his fingers, he counts them off.] There's my grandpa, my mom and dad, and as far as the kids go, I'm the middle. Two older brothers, me, my little sister, and then my youngest brother.

[He folds his arms over the table again, smile fading from his features.] ...I have a lot of complicated family stuff.

[khajidont]

I bet you do, [Jaime says, voice a little sympathetic. Out of all of those people, Jaime wonders if Killua was the first to separate himself from the family business. Quite frankly, he wouldn't doubt it - it's hard to question what you've always seen as normal.

Still, the image of Killua's older brother is nagging at him again. He remembers waking up in a cold sweat, remembers the Scarab's prying questions into the one realm it would never have the ability to enter with him, and...

Ah. There were needles, he remembers, and death. Jaime rolls the salt shaker between the palms of his hands as he frowns, trying to put together more than bits and pieces of it. He had been the one dying, he thinks, which had been altogether odd for his dreams. In his nightmares, he's the one that does all the killing.]

I think I remember one of them, [he says, voice a little careful, aware that he's treading on careful ground.] Not here - from the night when everyone's dreams got all smushed together.

[gonstop]

[The night everyone's dreams got smushed together. Killua immediately stiffens, focusing on those words. How could he have known that?]

You had those, too? I thought--

[That it had only been himself and Jojo. But as his mind slowly recalls the night he had started strangling Illumi only to realize it was Jojo and that whole adventure, more blurs come into focus. Like the sight of Jaime's dead body crumpled against him after his arm had gone straight through.

He looks incredibly disturbed all of a sudden, cutting himself off and staring at the table.]

Wait, I think... [It's in bits and pieces. How did that happen?] It was Illumi... Right? The one with the long black hair.

[khajidont]

[Jaime catches that spasm of expression that crosses Killua's face, and suddenly, feels a little bad for bringing it up. It would have been wrong not to, he tells himself. He had brought up many of the imPorts' dreams after the fact, figuring that it's only right that they know how much he knows.

He's not entirely sure what happened there - all he knows is that it had just been the first in a long line of privacy invasions here in Heropa.] It was just a dream, [he says gently, and if he's troubled at all by the idea of being killed by Killua, it certainly isn't showing on his face.]

That's the one. With the needles.

[gonstop]

[Subconsciously, he raises a hand to his forehead at the mention of needles. Still just bits and pieces, but it's enough. The feeling is there, Illumi was there, and the fact that he'd killed Jaime in it-- yeah, it was just a dream, and his shoulders relax at that comment, but it's not okay.]

I'm sorry you had to share all of that. [Even with not recalling the ogres or his earlier behavior, he remembers the anger pointed at Illumi, and the way it was blown away so easily by his brother's power. Slowly letting his hand drop, he frowns and looks up.]

He's my oldest brother. He's always following me around and trying to boss me into thinking like he wants. [And he's pretty sure he's the reason why he didn't remember Alluka until she showed up just recently. How could he have forgotten his own sister was locked up for so long?]

[khajidont]

You know what's funny? People keep apologizing to me for me crashing their dreams, [Jaime says, resting his elbows on the table and offering Killua a smile that's small and wistful, but reassuring nevertheless.] You don't have to apologize for what's going on up -- [he taps his temple twice] -- here. I'm just sorry it's there in the first place.

[He remembers only bits and pieces of the dream - Illumi's dark, inscrutable eyes, the needles in his hands, Killua's cries beside him. It hadn't been a happy dream, and it had been far worse for Killua than it is for him.]

He's been tough on you, hasn't he. Your older brother.

[gonstop]

[There's a small laugh at that, and he pulls his drink (a shake, actually) closer to slurp on it, toying with the straw afterwards. Tough on him? Hm.]

Something like that. [Trying to figure out a way to best describe or summarize this was a little hard, considering all he's dealt with. And while he's open about his past and how annoying his family is, it feels a little weird when he knows Jaime must be feeling bad for him. He shoves that feeling away, though, when he remembers their comments on friends.]

When I first took the Hunter exam, he disguised himself with his needles and followed me to take it, too. He's always hanging around Hisoka these days, and he's always telling me I can't make friends. [Sighing heavily and almost as if he's exaggerating (except for how he's not), he shrugs his shoulders a bit.] He just wants to keep me in the family business for himself. Since they all have such 'high hopes'.

[khajidont]

Yeah, well, screw 'em.

[That's a rude thing to say, he realizes in retrospect, but if Killua's subconscious is of any indication of how they've treated him, there's hardly any salvaging them. He gives Killua an apologetic sort of shrug, but that's the only overture towards his realization that he had been less than polite.]

Seems to me like you've made a couple friends already - and you'll be making plenty more at this rate.

[gonstop]

You think so?

[That's met with a smile, and if he's bothered at all by Jaime's comment on his brother, it doesn't show one bit. He's probably said the same thing down the line, after all, if not with cruder wording.

It's thinking on that for a minute that gets his expression to shift, and he points in a lightly accusing way at Jaime.]

Hey, but there's no way you'd be as stupid as in that dream, right? [In the end, he still has the tact of a kid. He hides genuine, distant worry behind over-exaggerated teasing, jabbing his finger in the air to emphasize his points.] My big brother can control people with those needles. If he shows up and you chase him down without thinking, you won't stand a chance! It was just a dream, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but that was seriously a bad move!!

[khajidont]

Nobody acts in dreams the way they do in real life, [Jaime says, and he certainly doesn't only mean himself. He doesn't doubt that he'd run after someone like Illumi, of course - that's part of the superhero manual; you consistently go on suicide runs to beat people far stronger and smarter than you are - but he'd at least try to be a bit smarter about it.

He wouldn't resort to using a stick, at least.]

What d'you mean by control people, though? Like the Manipulator?

[Jaime feels his heart sink at the mere idea of it, and his expression falls with it. One of the only things saving him in the case of the Manipulator is the fact that he didn't know what Jaime is capable of. To think that someone could figure it out, could figure out that he essentially has nukes in his spine...

It's a chilling thought. There's a reason he hasn't told a single living soul, not Bart, not his mother, not anybody. Nobody can ever know.

And nobody can ever use him, not again.]

[gonstop]

[No one acts the same way. He hears it, and he understands it to a point, but he can't help but think that a lot of his points in the dream were ways he had acted in real life. But he was different now. He wanted to be different now, at least.

He'd certainly never heart a friend. Never.]

Yeah, he is a manipulator.

[Killua says that pretty casually before pausing, raising his index finger to clarify.] Ah, it's a category of nen... Meaning, how someone can use their life force. He can put his aura into his needles. Once he gets you good with those ones, you'll be his puppet until you die.

It doesn't really matter if you got them out before then, anyway. None of big brother's needlemen can function properly after that to live on their own.

[khajidont]

That's awful, [Jaime says, and he says it with feeling. There's nothing worse in the world than robbing someone of their free will and of their personhood - and no matter how Jaime cuts it, he can't help but feel that death would be a kinder fate than that.

Already, he's thinking about how you'd beat a person like that, and so is the Scarab, he knows. There's a thrill of fear there, even from the Scarab; it had spent a millennium as a weapon, and it doesn't intend to go back to that life again, not without a threat. Illumi may not be here, but when he is...

At least Jaime will be prepared for what he can do, if not how to stop it. He props his chin up on the heel of his hand, privately content that his thoughtful expression can easily be misconstrued as thinking about the situation, nothing more, nothing less.]

That explains the dream, then. Here's hoping he never comes here. One manipulator's bad enough.

[gonstop]

Yeah, seriously...

[He doesn't even want to think about Illumi showing up, but sadly it's on his mind near constantly. Paranoia and the voice at the back of his mind that sounds so much like his brother's has him wondering if he's not here and in hiding somehow. Ugh.

Finishing up the shake, he slides it to the edge of the table.]

Next time, I'm not going to just sit by and watch people get hurt. [He knows Jaime's probably going to take worry with that comment, so he extends his hand, expecting something like a bro-grip from the looks of it.] But I'll ask if I need help, too. Thanks a lot, Jaime.

[khajidont]

Anytime.

[Jaime shakes himself out of his own, private ruminations, and offers Killua a sheepish sort of grin.] If he shows up, I would tell you it's too dangerous, except I figure that'd make me a hypocrite.

[That, and Killua can clearly take care of himself. Why on earth would he listen to Jaime?]

Just be careful. I wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfires of those needles. [He looks a little blankly at Killua's outstretched hand, raising his own a little tentatively.] Are - are we doing the Predator handshake right now?

[Next course of action: show Killua Predator, stat.]