[When Suzaku returns from the mission with his school, he'll receive a summons to his father's office. It's sent by formal messenger, with none of the silly informalities that those boxes have been perpetuating. At least Barbas has seen to it that they've been silenced. They always were a menace.
Whenever Suzaku arrives, the doctor will be occupied. He's settled at his enormous desk, signing off approvals or denials, occasionally pricking his nondominant palm with his quill when a document is important enough to need to be signed in blood.
In times like these, there should be an assistant doting on him and helping to relieve the stress. There's a tightness in his knuckles as he works alone. The summons is not a joyful one.]
[The summons is very unusual and Suzaku knows straight away that it is serious. After all his father is a very busy man, most days Suzaku does not see him at all, a brief greeting in the morning or welcoming him home after a day at work. Sometimes they share meals together but more often or not his father works late. Suzaku has been to his office before, probably. When he was younger, accompanying his mother. But he has never been summoned like this before.
He wastes no time, the doctor is a busy man and not one to keep waiting. He is surprised by the lack of assistant or secretary but merely knocks at the door and stands almost to attention.]
You wished to see me, doctor?
[Familiarity would not do at all. This is Suzaku's father and he cares for him deeply and that is why he will not allow his behaviour to reflect badly on him in the slightest.]
[He looks up slowly, contemplatively. He examines Suzaku's posture, the stiffness of his frame and his form. He's going to be something special one day. The doctor has devoted himself to making sure of it.]
Our community was attacked. Our wives and children were taken. Families are fatherless. One assumes you've been privy to some of it.
[He stiffens even more under his gaze, not wanting to show even a hint of bad posture to his father. His eyes were on him, focused and sharp.
He knows exactly what his father is talking about. That day. When people were attacked, it was worrying and infuriating. They knew who were responsible, clearly the sinners at the hotel. Attacking them even after the community had reached out with aid.]
I have. Mother said she delivered you the vial from the sinner who came to our house.
[He won't even say his name. Seto Kaiba. His once friend. The betrayal still stings even if nothing shows on his face.]
[His jaw tightens at that. Our house. They were personally targeted while other families were spared. This seemed like a random attack, but he's certain that this was anything but: the markings of a hit job are too clear.]
The sample contains elements that are angelic in nature. They've kidnapped one of the unfallen.
[That earns a dramatic pause after he notes it, to give it the gravity that it deserves.]
The horrors that they're conducting are worse than what we've encountered before. They're precise with who they target. They take indirect routes. Wives. Coworkers. The sons of the elite. They want to spread this poison like a virus that dismantles our entire civilization from the inside out.
[It did feel targeted and not just because Seto was had been his friend. If Seto had really been a double agent like he suspected then it would be no accident that he had befriended Suzaku. Suzaku is aware if his families standing. If the sinners wished to target his father they would likely aim at him or his brother.
The news was worrying. The sinners had kidnapped an unfallen, used them to make their poison.]
The community was caught off guard. I do not believe they will find a second attack so straight forward.
[Everyone was on their guard now, ready against the sinners dirty tricks.]
And yet they will try one anyway. They're stubborn. Willful.
[He almost spits the word. Will. What use is there for it? It only makes imperfect creatures.] They are as animals, unrefined and uneducated. They don't know well enough to stop.
[He rises from his seat then, setting his palms flat on his desk.]
[Of course they would try again. They were extreme in their views, stubborn and wilful. They had refused the way of life here, chosen one of sin and chaos.
As his father said, they did not know better. Despite the communities best efforts of outreach. He had had hope then, when visiting the hotel with his class, that they might convince some of them, save some of them. But he sees now it is not possible, they are too far gone.]
What do you wish me to do. [Because if his father was talking about retaliation and his father had summoned him here it was not difficult to put those things together. There was something he wished of Suzaku and Suzaku would, of course, do whatever was asked of him.]
[He shuffles paperwork on his desk, until he pulls out a grainy photograph featuring a woman's face.]
This is the woman who came closest. She targeted my assistant and was able to gain access into this facility. She's the one who has stolen our secure livelihoods. Her name is Helen.
[He picked the picture up when it was slid over, taking in the grainy image. A young woman, able to gain access into the facility, targeted his father's assistant. That was why his father was alone in here.
His assistant was dead or kidnapped by the sinners, for who knew what purpose. Suzaku's face darkened and there was no hesitation as he answered.] Yes sir.
[There might have been no hesitation but that's not to say he had no feelings on the matter. His father wishes him to go and find this Helen, to kill her. He would, of course. He wouldn't dream of disobeying. But was he capable? She was clearly someone very capable if she could steal his father's assistant from inside this facility.
It wouldn't be easy. Of course he feels pride that his father thinks him ready for such a task, believes him capable. He will not allow any doubts he might have come to light. He might have never hunted down anyone to kill them before but if that was what was necessary for the protection of this community and if that was what his father required of him then he would give it his all.]
Painfully little. Natasha was indulging the network of sinners through those boxes that appeared a few weeks ago. The stupid girl thought they wanted to have friendly chats. She all but invited them to come in. They know far more about us than we know about them.
I've not been able to get through to Lord Barbas. We've been left to our own devices.
[ strange, to think he's been away during this crisis. The doctor has vivid memories of barbas playing a more active role in the community. ]
[He frown deepened. He hadn't indulged in those boxes, though he knew plenty in his class who had, who had been communicating with the sinners. Of course sometimes it was right to communicate with them, but allowing them to do so on their terms was foolish and short sighted.
It was worrying that Lord Barbas was not taking a greater role, when so many of their community had been targeted but who was Suzaku to judge their lord? He obviously had larger problems and Suzaku did not presume to know what else he might be working on.]
Then we shall prove that we can manage without disturbing him. [The lack of information was a different problem but he could work around that.
He had a name, he knew where she would be. It was enough.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-01-20 07:20 am (UTC)Whenever Suzaku arrives, the doctor will be occupied. He's settled at his enormous desk, signing off approvals or denials, occasionally pricking his nondominant palm with his quill when a document is important enough to need to be signed in blood.
In times like these, there should be an assistant doting on him and helping to relieve the stress. There's a tightness in his knuckles as he works alone. The summons is not a joyful one.]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-20 06:42 pm (UTC)He wastes no time, the doctor is a busy man and not one to keep waiting. He is surprised by the lack of assistant or secretary but merely knocks at the door and stands almost to attention.]
You wished to see me, doctor?
[Familiarity would not do at all. This is Suzaku's father and he cares for him deeply and that is why he will not allow his behaviour to reflect badly on him in the slightest.]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-29 08:30 am (UTC)[He looks up slowly, contemplatively. He examines Suzaku's posture, the stiffness of his frame and his form. He's going to be something special one day. The doctor has devoted himself to making sure of it.]
Our community was attacked. Our wives and children were taken. Families are fatherless. One assumes you've been privy to some of it.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-29 05:39 pm (UTC)He knows exactly what his father is talking about. That day. When people were attacked, it was worrying and infuriating. They knew who were responsible, clearly the sinners at the hotel. Attacking them even after the community had reached out with aid.]
I have. Mother said she delivered you the vial from the sinner who came to our house.
[He won't even say his name. Seto Kaiba. His once friend. The betrayal still stings even if nothing shows on his face.]
I know no one who has not been impacted by it.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-29 05:51 pm (UTC)The sample contains elements that are angelic in nature. They've kidnapped one of the unfallen.
[That earns a dramatic pause after he notes it, to give it the gravity that it deserves.]
The horrors that they're conducting are worse than what we've encountered before. They're precise with who they target. They take indirect routes. Wives. Coworkers. The sons of the elite. They want to spread this poison like a virus that dismantles our entire civilization from the inside out.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-29 08:33 pm (UTC)The news was worrying. The sinners had kidnapped an unfallen, used them to make their poison.]
The community was caught off guard. I do not believe they will find a second attack so straight forward.
[Everyone was on their guard now, ready against the sinners dirty tricks.]
no subject
Date: 2022-02-03 07:31 am (UTC)[He almost spits the word. Will. What use is there for it? It only makes imperfect creatures.] They are as animals, unrefined and uneducated. They don't know well enough to stop.
[He rises from his seat then, setting his palms flat on his desk.]
That's why we will retaliate.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 05:00 am (UTC)As his father said, they did not know better. Despite the communities best efforts of outreach. He had had hope then, when visiting the hotel with his class, that they might convince some of them, save some of them. But he sees now it is not possible, they are too far gone.]
What do you wish me to do. [Because if his father was talking about retaliation and his father had summoned him here it was not difficult to put those things together. There was something he wished of Suzaku and Suzaku would, of course, do whatever was asked of him.]
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 07:23 am (UTC)This is the woman who came closest. She targeted my assistant and was able to gain access into this facility. She's the one who has stolen our secure livelihoods. Her name is Helen.
[He slides the image across the desk]
Bring me her head.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 08:38 pm (UTC)His assistant was dead or kidnapped by the sinners, for who knew what purpose. Suzaku's face darkened and there was no hesitation as he answered.] Yes sir.
[There might have been no hesitation but that's not to say he had no feelings on the matter. His father wishes him to go and find this Helen, to kill her. He would, of course. He wouldn't dream of disobeying. But was he capable? She was clearly someone very capable if she could steal his father's assistant from inside this facility.
It wouldn't be easy. Of course he feels pride that his father thinks him ready for such a task, believes him capable. He will not allow any doubts he might have come to light. He might have never hunted down anyone to kill them before but if that was what was necessary for the protection of this community and if that was what his father required of him then he would give it his all.]
Do we know anything else about her?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-07 02:42 am (UTC)I've not been able to get through to Lord Barbas. We've been left to our own devices.
[ strange, to think he's been away during this crisis. The doctor has vivid memories of barbas playing a more active role in the community. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-02-07 04:50 am (UTC)It was worrying that Lord Barbas was not taking a greater role, when so many of their community had been targeted but who was Suzaku to judge their lord? He obviously had larger problems and Suzaku did not presume to know what else he might be working on.]
Then we shall prove that we can manage without disturbing him. [The lack of information was a different problem but he could work around that.
He had a name, he knew where she would be. It was enough.]