trans_9 | This Man's Home Is A Castle [OPEN]

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This Man's Home Is A Castle [OPEN]

When he first saw it weeks ago, shortly after the crew had finally caught up him, he thought for certain that he was hallucinating. But there it was, nestled among several other castles. The Luthor Mansion, in all it's glory.

Lex was never a superstitious man, but even he believed that there was more to heaven and earth than what could be proven on paper. The appearance of his home, a reward no other crew member had received (to his knowledge), certainly made him think. He wondered if this was some sort of sign that his decisions so far had indeed been right, or that he was on the right path. Perhaps it was put there as a distraction of sorts, as well, as there were many unpleasant memories that haunted those walls. For the time being, he decided to take it as a reward, however relocating there initially proved to be problematic.

The Mansion wasn't in disarray, but it was clear that no one had walked its halls in quite some time. Not only that, but the last people who had clearly had little regard for the property. There was a layer of dirt and dust everywhere, expensive and priceless paintings had been torn off the walls and trashed, priceless artifacts were just broken pieces of clay or stone, pieces of antique furniture had been smashed, and every vault was empty. Not a single green meteor rock to be found. He counted himself lucky that his pool table, piano, and a handful of family photos managed to survive.

Rather than be dejected, Lex looked at it as project to occupy his time. Since he only worked in Neuropathy whenever he felt like it, and manned the bar in the lounge at his discretion, he did have plenty of time to devote to this project. Which was good, because cleaning up and fixing up a 40 room mansion-- replete with its own library (with real books), well supplied medieval armory and modern armory, pool, wine cellar, gym, and grand ballroom-- took a lot of work.

Work which still hadn't been completed, but he had progressed far enough to not only make it livable, but also presentable. The master bedroom, Lex's office, and most of the common areas had been cleaned up. All the rest was blocked off for the moment, but were in locations that were fairly out of the way.

So, he put out a message on the omnicomms, and invited a few people to check the place out. The ones who weren't already spying on him, at any rate. He laid out a few drinks, and a sampling of some of the fresh fruit and food he picked up while during their last mission to earth. He didn't expect many guests, after all, he had never been the most well liked person, even back when he was a relatively kindhearted kid. Most parties he hosted as an adult, he was usually surrounded by obsequious employees desperate to move up the food chain, business partners who wanted a more favorable deal, business rivals who were trying to find out something about the competition, charity representatives who wanted money, and sycophants who wanted the notoriety of being in the same room as Lex Luthor and access to the connections that alone can bring. Friends were simply a foreign concept, if he ever truly had any to begin with, and he certainly hadn't gone out of his way to make any on the ship. He was curious as to what category his guests, if he had any, would fit in.

((ooc: This is something of a party style post, so feel free to talk to Lex, Lois, or talk to each other while your character looks around.))

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"I don't know. Can you even have 'em remove me? 'Cause I mean, technically, does anyone even have property on the ship if we don't have laws set down yet?" he asks, and he...hefts up the sword out of the hand of the suit of armor it was in, to take a better look at it.

"This place isn't yours anymore than the Vatican is. Hell, it might not even be your version of your castle anyway, and just look like it or be identical. I'd say that makes it just as much public property as anywhere else."

No, Lex. You don't get to be menacing at him, and tell him 'I'm going to find out all your secrets,' and brainwash hi--

Well, okay, that wasn't--that wasn't the same one, but it was so hard to separate out all those different thoughts. Regardless, he'd offered Lex a deal, and Lex had made it clear he had no intentions of leaving Kon alone. Ergo, it meant Kon'd gone on the offensive, just a little. But this was...harmless. Just some information-gathering.

"Besides, it's not like I'm breaking anything or stealing, is it?" he says, taking a swing with the sword in the empty part of the hallway, experimentally. "I was figuring on going down to the party eventually. Maybe." A pause. "Even if I didn't really wanna talk to you in particular."

For someone that looks nearly identical to Clark, there's something about his manner that's a bit more wily. This is a situation where Clark would play completely innocent and apologetic, complete with the whole doe-eyed farmboy bluster. It's almost as if Kon doesn't care if Lex susses out the truth, and his tone reflects it. He's only playing partly innocent, instead of entirely, like Clark does, and there's something insufferably smug about it.

Edited 2010-01-13 05:34 (UTC)

Except, Kon, Lex had friends in high places. One of whom he had a quick, private discussion with, courtesy of the comm rings.

Now that he knew Security was on the way, Lex's demeanor changed slightly. He put up both hands in front of him. "Now, Kon, that's very sharp. I need you to put the weapon down," he stated slowly.

And he already has the Command and Security Teams at his beck and call, Kon thinks. Good to know. When they go in for that whole civvie government thing, he wonders if they already have to worry about Councilman Luthor.

Kon shrugs. "Okay. Don't wanna wreck anything."

This is supposed to be an act. It's supposed to just be a diversion. And it has at least served its purpose, whether security's gotten called in or not. But the nightmare from the other night (http://community.livejournal.com/trans_9/236692.html?thread=18802324#t18802324) is fresh on his mind and he hasn't really been able to stop thinking about it. He had planned on trying to stay out of Luthor's radar initially, but he's worked himself into something resembling paranoia. And feeling threatened like that makes him angry--it makes him want to fight back, it makes him want to make the first move, even if the way he's acting right now isn't very...

Super.

Irony there. That he's being a giant jerk because he's afraid of being a giant jerk, but he's just a teenager. He doesn't really see it, and he's never been quite as squeaky clean as his mentor, often to his great detriment.

Kon replaces the sword, and has a seat in an antique chair in the hall, patiently folding his hands and waiting for Security.

"I mean, this is all you have from home, right? It'd kinda suck if someone wrecked anything important so you didn't have it anymore. Like all those pictures? Who's that lady in 'em--your mom? It'd suck if you lost all those pics of your mom somehow."

Edited 2010-01-13 21:06 (UTC)

Lafiel was the first one through, small, determined, a bundle of tsun-tsun.

"...-at lady in 'em--your mom? It'd suck if you lost all those pics of your mom somehow."

She heard that from the corridor and her face hardened. She'd lost her mother in her first mission.

And there was Superboy (honestly, what was up with these names?), legs crossed and smug in a chair that looked hundreds of years older than anyone there, fingering an antique sword that reflected the smug, V-lipped expression he had on his face.

She brought her hand to the butt of her klanyu at her waist. Whether the laser pistol could even harm Kon-El was debatable, but it made her feel better.

"Mister Luthor, is this the intruder?"

Silently, Motoko came up behind her. She certainly didn't look much of a threat in her low-cut evening gown, but her eyes were very hard. The Major had been drinking and this little incident had forced her to scrub the happy efforts of an hour out of her system. She wasn't pleased.

Teenagers, you give them an inch...

Dick hadn't been at the party, but he had been in the area. It was a way to keep an eye on Luthor without engaging him. Dick doesn't trust Luthor. So sue him.

So when the call from the Captain comes in, Dick's in through the door and making his way to where the trouble is. And, somehow, it's not that surprising that it's Kon.

"Conner." Mask makes it easier to look impassive, but there's disappointment in Dick's voice. "Might I ask what the problem here is, Mr. Luthor?"

That was a prompt response. He looked over at the assembled Security staff. "Yes, my apologies for pulling you away from the party, but it seems young Mr. Kent wasn't raised with any sort of social skills."

Lex took a moment to look back at Kon, and gave a rather convincing look of... disappointment. "Really, if the Martha Kent I knew could see you now, she'd be ashamed to share your name." There was something in his tone that sounded like he meant it. It was difficult to tell if he did or didn't.

"Anyway, while I was busy with the party, he's been breaking into other areas of my home, vandalizing my property, and for some ungodly reason he's attempting to steal the few pictures of my family that I have. I'd like you to search him for anything of mine that he's attempting to steal then remove him from my home and make sure he doesn't return."

In short, get that little rat bastard out of his house.

"The Martha Kent I know would probably hate your freakin' guts. Funny how that works out, isn't it?" Kon retorts back with a frown, crossing his arms and slumping back in the chair. "And I didn't vandalize anything. Nothing's broken, you invited everyone in and I was just looking around. I wanted to see the castle--I just didn't want to talk to you."

He shrugs and adds smugly, "And somehow when I went to open doors, everything just happened to be unlocked. Weird, I know, but maybe you should have locked it all better. Or if you didn't want certain people in your house, you probably should have made that a little more clear."

Nightwing will likely recognize Kon's 'Trying to put one by everyone' look. ("Really, Starfire, I had no idea you were taking a shower in here, I swear. Really. ... X-Ray vision, whatever do you mean by that?" "What's that? No sir, uh, I brought Robin to hang out and he got, um, airsick, we totally didn't throw a party for the sidekicks in the Fortress of Solitude.")

He doesn't seem eager to get searched, though. As in, he's not volunteering himself for it, and seems to be stalling.

Edited 2010-01-13 23:34 (UTC)

"Stand, and turn around with your hands on the back of your head." Lafiel wished she could draw her klanyu and make the little red sighting beam dance to emphasize her point but knew that would be an inappropriate escalation. She was thoroughly unimpressed.

She wasn't particularly going to enjoy this: She'd had trouble with an overeager to body search cop before. But duty was duty.

That's right, Kon. You gonna get searched by the cute little space elf girl.

"Cut the bullshit," she snapped, irritably. The Major was sober, annoyed, and in a mood that would improve for nothing so much as for casual sadism.

To all intents and purposes she was talking to Kon, but her bloody glare went right past him to Luthor. There was no doubt in her mind that this half-grown idiot had invaded what was, arguably, private property without permission and with at least a passing intention of vandalism. Lex, however, was exacerbating the situation. Her arms were loose at her sides rather than folded, and while she might be at the rear of the pack, she was also the strongest present aside from Kon. Her threat wasn't idle.

Having to have come from the Precinct, Worf arrived a bit more tardily than the rest of the security staff. Seeing the others assembled, he had no doubt the situation was under control, but stepped forwards to join them anyways, hands clasped behind his back.

"Major. What seems to be the situation?" She was the one who had the most of his respect out of the group, and the most likely to give him a straight answer.

"Hey, join the party," quips Kon as Worf shows up, putting his hands on the back of his head as instructed, "I'd say you could join in on the frisking, too, but you're not my type, big guy."

But the smile fades to an expression of his jaw being set, as Lafiel does her search and finds what Kon is hiding. There's a book tucked under his shirt, and several pictures in his pockets, though not many. He only took a few.

What's all the more odd is they seem to have no apparent value. They're not something he could trade for booze or use or anything. The book is a book on the history of the Luthor family and its genealogy, and the pictures are of random family members. The subjects that seem to be of particular interest to Kon are Lex's parents, of all people.

Of course, to the average person, it looks like he was trying to steal irreplaceable photos and odds and ends just to spite Lex by him not having them around anymore, or to destroy them, or to maybe try to extort something from him with them, but the truth is a little more personal, and not something he intends to reveal. Of the people there, Nightwing might understand his reasons, but 'Wing can't reveal them either without breaking Superboy's confidence.

How can he tell them "I wanted to see where I maybe come from?" How can he explain wanting to know more about a part of himself and trying to see if there were any parallels between their worlds, without admitting in front of Lex himself?

"I was gonna put 'em back. Eventually."

There was raised eyebrow from Lex when he saw what the boy was attempting to lift. Lex wants your family secrets, so you try to steal his first. He'd commend you for that, if you hadn't failed so miserably.

Not to mention gave him an excuse to make inquiries about you. He has a right to know about who tried to rob his home, no?

"Sure you would have. And for the record, the Martha Kent I knew was far too kind and loving to hate anyone, even me and my family. It's a shame the Martha on your world sounds nothing like her. Perhaps if she had been, you wouldn't have turned into such a little thieving degenerate bastard."

That said, he trned to address Security. "Empress, Major, Commander... and I'm afraid I never caught your name," he stated to Nightwing. He would have just called him 'idiot walking around in the stupid-looking domino mask that doesn't really conceal anything', but that was needlessly rude. "Consider me to be in your debt. Now, if you'll escort him from my home, I can get back to attending to my guests, and we can put this incident behind us."

Interesting that he's not demanding that they throw the book at you, Kon. What is his game here?

Lafiel patted him down without a hint of her usual self consciousness. She was in on-the-job mode, and she did not even raise an eyebrow (physically at least) at the strangely personal nature of the things Kon was stealing. She set them down on a three legged little round table.

"Come with us please." The politeness was habitual. She wasn't asking. "Mister Luthor, you are not in our debt. This is our job." She knew a favors game when she saw it. Being a princess helped with that.

Speak for yourself, Lafiel. Luthor is now in Motoko's debt twice. Three times if there's nothing containing 90% or more ethanol left on the bar when she gets back to it. She likes the favors game; after all, she cheats.

"Kent's making some poor life choices," She informed Worf drily, "If he won't come along quietly, it'll be an interesting fight."

"I see." His eyes slide to Kon.

"Mister Kent." He gestures with one hand, waiting for the boy to move so he can take up a position to one side and slightly behind him.

Oh, there is a game. There's always a game when Lex Luthor is involved. But the question you should be asking yourself, Lex, is why is he still so damn smug-looking when he got caught and didn't get away with anything he was trying to steal? Why is there that little defiant glint in his eye like he hasn't lost or at least still got something he wanted or accomplished what he'd set out to do?

"You said you wouldn't stop unless you had my secrets," Kon says, as they walk him off. "That you wouldn't leave me alone. I thought about it and decided you probably mean it, that just hoping you stay away from me wouldn't work. Fine."

He turns to look at him, his arms snagged--not that that could really stop him, but he has to pretend, doesn't he?

"I think I kinda have also decided I don't like being threatened, Luthor." His expression is an ugly one.

He's nowhere near as squeaky clean as his cousin. He only tries to be. Right now, he's scared and angry enough not to try that hard. That happens sometimes. Like when he launched Amanda Spence into space at about mach one million (even though it wouldn't kill her, floating for a cold eternity in space, well...), and helped Knockout run from the law (at least until he knew better).

There's that little voice in the back of his head that tells them those things are wrong, and it sounds an awful lot like Kal or Ma or Pa, or even Dubbilex sometimes, but when he's scared or pissed off, he ignores it when he shouldn't. But it's hard to hear it when it's being drowned out by the fear. There's the fear of what's already happened: ("What'd you do to him, Luthor?!" "I said the magic words. And my son showed his true colors.") Of what could happen: ("It's done. I did what you wanted, dad. Like I told you--I'd do anything to make you proud." "Someday, you'll be proud to be a Luthor.") Of what would happen if Kon didn't prevent it: ("You don't get to walk away from it now. Like I said, I don't leave unfinished business." "I will find out everything.")

"Just keep in mind with that--I'm not my cousin. He's a lot nicer."

Edited 2010-01-14 03:09 (UTC)

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This Man's Home Is A Castle [OPEN]

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