[It's an odd spot for a pause, to be sure, but the question of Skulduggery's sudden and peculiar aversion to the elevator at the end of the hall isn't examined much further on Jade's part just yet. Considering the more immediate matter to address, here and now...]
Well, no, considering that would be rather less of a compromise and more of a confrontation--don't you think? To say nothing of how it wouldn't work half as well as you'd like, I'm afraid.
[Jade's tone retains a cheery enough mild humor, and his smile to match it does not entirely fade, but. His right hand does slip into his coat pocket: an idle enough gesture on its own, but in reality the most overt outward sign of a very slight prickle of wariness prompted by Skulduggery's words. ...It's odd, really. They're in-line enough as a metaphor, considering his clear ill mood, and if this talk were happening a week ago with no strange text message in the backdrop Jade would hardly think twice about it beyond it being a particularly gallows sort of humor. But now.....paired with the strange atmosphere here, and incomplete but concerning context--he does wonder.
(He might be able to react, before a gun's drawn. Large blunt impacts, or a detonation of energy...'large sustained damage', was it--?)
A twinge of something like unhappiness accompanies the automatic thought--at the reasons said thought's even flaring up, about now--but Jade doesn't allow it to linger enough to grow into anything more recognizable, in favor of setting it aside and focusing upon business.]
I've something rather simpler in mind. So as not to take too much of your time--but still leaving the both of us satisfied enough, with ending this conversation--if you were to permit me three questions, I could opt to leave you be to the best of my ability for the next several weeks on your timetable afterwards. Up to and including turning right around and pretending not to see you, in any future incidental encounters...and so on, you know.
no subject
Well, no, considering that would be rather less of a compromise and more of a confrontation--don't you think? To say nothing of how it wouldn't work half as well as you'd like, I'm afraid.
[Jade's tone retains a cheery enough mild humor, and his smile to match it does not entirely fade, but. His right hand does slip into his coat pocket: an idle enough gesture on its own, but in reality the most overt outward sign of a very slight prickle of wariness prompted by Skulduggery's words. ...It's odd, really. They're in-line enough as a metaphor, considering his clear ill mood, and if this talk were happening a week ago with no strange text message in the backdrop Jade would hardly think twice about it beyond it being a particularly gallows sort of humor. But now.....paired with the strange atmosphere here, and incomplete but concerning context--he does wonder.
(He might be able to react, before a gun's drawn. Large blunt impacts, or a detonation of energy...'large sustained damage', was it--?)
A twinge of something like unhappiness accompanies the automatic thought--at the reasons said thought's even flaring up, about now--but Jade doesn't allow it to linger enough to grow into anything more recognizable, in favor of setting it aside and focusing upon business.]
I've something rather simpler in mind. So as not to take too much of your time--but still leaving the both of us satisfied enough, with ending this conversation--if you were to permit me three questions, I could opt to leave you be to the best of my ability for the next several weeks on your timetable afterwards. Up to and including turning right around and pretending not to see you, in any future incidental encounters...and so on, you know.