"You have reached Count Dooku. I regret that I am unavailable to answer your hail. Kindly leave a message, and I shall respond at the earliest opportunity."
Text | E-mail | Voicemail | Phone call | Hologram | Other
[From what he had heard, this man had a deep, rich voice and was used to oratory. He could respond with text, keep the count out of his element - or he could make him feel like a winner. Catch flies with honey instead of vinegar. A video conference would be too personal for their first meeting. Voice it is.
He flicks the communication open and speaks at a soft, polite volume. His pitch and tone are perfectly controlled. His words intone sympathy with the man's predicament.]
Count Dooku. I am Dr. Jonathan Crane.
To begin with, I apologize for calling you without prior engagement. Keeping matters short, for we are both busy individuals: I am messaging you regarding your communication with Harleen Quinzel. I feel I must apologise on her behalf. We are visitors here from the same city and I saw how she familiarized you with her sense of social manners. You cannot expect a woman with her level of psychosis to act rationally. It would be easier upon you to not encourage the attention she desires.
[Oh good, someone with manners. And sympathy for the Count's absurd plight. The honey is certainly flowing here.]
Doctor Crane. Please do not feel obligated to apologize for Quinzel's behaviour; you are presumably not her caretaker. Nonetheless, I must thank you for your kind words.
I was not aware that Quinzel is unwell. I suppose it would explain much. Have you been treating her condition?
[Because that is a much more preferable explanation than having Dooku's name be objectively hilarious.]
[It is maybe a day before Dooku responds. He is busy meditating, focusing his hatred and rage toward more productive ends, contemplating how he could have been so utterly compromised by the crude coercion of the Soviet Union. Never before has he been violated on this level. Throughout the day, he thinks upon his revenge.
At length, the Count masters himself and regains his focus. When he turns his attention to his messages, he speaks and writes and lies as though nothing has changed.]
Hello Manolo. I am indeed well, and most pleased that we have regained our freedom.
I trust you are also all right. What is it I can help you with?
[The growing connection with Kaneki was one of the only decent things to come out of the humiliation that was the Seminar. Dooku could sense strong, twisted feelings beneath the boy's placid and friendly exterior- feelings of great rage, pain, and sorrow. Feelings he could work with. So it is a small but badly-needed pleasure to hear from him, as Dooku is recovering from his ordeals.]
Greetings, Kaneki. I am unharmed, despite the best efforts of our enemies. [Bullshit.] I hope the same can be said for yourself.
Count Dooku. My sincerest condolences on the outcome of this election. I found you to be an excellent opponent, and it is beyond my understanding why that dog received as many votes as it did.
[ A beat. ]
But I am not calling for the purpose of speaking about what's past. I wish to talk about the future. And more specifically how I can help you further your agenda. Lucifer supported us both for a reason, and I believe we could be far more powerful as an alliance than we can as one single ambassador.
Thank you, Lord Baelish. I must say, if I am to be defeated, I would much rather have it be by one of your courtesy and experience than by the Ambassador of soft cream.
[If Dooku is, say, inwardly seething with rage and humiliation at his defeat, it doesn't show at all in his eternally cool and polite voice.]
You have my attention, Ambassador. What manner of alliance are you envisioning?
[Well this is interesting. The Count had expected people like Daryl to lose interest in him after the lost the election. But perhaps something can still be salvaged here.]
It is one of my highest priorities. Why do you ask?
[Dooku might be at work or home when the invitation comes. But rather than any regular ol' mail handler, this one is a little different. The doorbell rings, or a slow, insistent knock lets out. Whenever Dooku does answer, he will find dear Sally standing before him, a knowing smile on blood red lips. She holds out a golden envelope with his name handwritten in careful, precise lettering, handing it over with that smile still in place.
And with that she turns, leaving Dooku with his invite. By the time he looks at what's in hand and back up to say something to Sally, though, she's vanished, leaving only the scent of cigarettes in her wake.]
[Within the day, March will receive a very nicely handwritten letter in reply, addressed to him at the Hotel Castile:]
Dear Mister March,
I thank you with warm gratitude and appreciation for your kind invitation to an evening at the Hotel Castile. I will be delighted to visit your fine establishment once more, and you may most certainly expect me in attendance. I shall notify you ahead of time if I bring any guests.
[ There's a package left for Dooku some time after his and Adachi's last meeting. It's a thick packet, with double copies of reciepts and contracts and paystubs; one stack being originals, the other copies with Adachi's note scrawled all over them, pointing out the descrepencies between them. ]
[ There's also another sheet of paper, with a note from Adachi. ]
Surprised you let something like this go on for this long. I need glasses again after all this reading.
I can bring this to the police on your behalf if you want. Otherwise it's up to you what to do with the information. Let me know.
[There's a pause before Dooku responds, as he considers his options. Ordinarily such a total lack of results would involve a stern lecture regarding the price of failure. But returning the payment? That's a professional, courteous gesture that the Count honestly had not expected from Felix. Perhaps it was Locus' idea, he thinks.]
An unfortunate result. But I never expected the government's secrets would be easily uncovered.
Thank you for your efforts. Perhaps I will have more work for you in the future. With tasks that are more easily achieved.
[At least he has learned something: that LACKEY is either no longer a factor, or that it is so crucial a factor that the government has erased all traces that might lead to it from the Porter cities.]
[ Kaneki only celebrates New Years, so that's the day he'll be dropping off gifts. For Count Dooku, he will leave incense, home-made mochi (rice cakes), sake and a a beautiful japanese handkive (Tanto) ]
Thank you for everything you have done for me, Count Dooku. I'm not sure if I could have done so much without your words and guidance. I hope you have a happy New Year.
Hello, Count Dooku. I've seen the recent post regarding the prison outbreak and your name was mentioned. Do you think we could meet to discuss a couple of things?
[ Dooku finds himself getting some more of those old foggie letters. Delivered by mockingbird and sealed closed by a wax mockingbird sigil, it's pretty obvious who this is from. The letter is hand-written in careful cursive. ]
Dear Count Dooku -
I write to you on behalf of a project I am working on within my city. Construction has already begun on rebuilding a much larger library, but I wish for this to be more than simply a bigger structure. I hope to inspire education and the spread of knowledge to the natives of Maurtia Falls as well as provide an invaluable resource to new arrivals here. But more than that, I wish to use it to pay homage to the natives who lost their lives within Maurtia Falls due to imPort related tragedies. Their names will be honored within the library itself and donations will be set up to be made to the families.
For this project to succeed, I need your help. If you are able to donate anything at all to the cause, it would be most appreciated -- whether that is books, money, or simply your time. And if you would be so willing to say a few words at the grand opening, I would be honored.
I thank you for your time, and I do hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely, Ambassador Petyr Baelish
[ OOC: You can feel free to just respond to this OOCly if he would donate anything or not! ]
[A return letter soon arrives, written in similarly elegant cursive:]
Dear Ambassador Baelish,
Thank you for your kind letter. I am pleased to say that your proposal is of the highest interest to me, and I believe it will be a grand contribution to the improvement of Maurtia Falls. I have some antique books that I would be happy to donate, as well as one thousand dollars in funding. And, should I be invited, I would be all too happy to speak at the opening of your library.
However, I feel compelled to add a note of caution regarding the library's dedication. Honouring the dead is a noble gesture, yet I fear that in these troubled times talk of how many lives have been lost due to imPorts could be exploited by our enemies to stir further resentment against us. I know I can trust your instincts to handle this matter with the sensitivity it requires.
Thank you once again, and please do not hesitate to ask if there is anything further I can do for you.
I am contacting you this night to let you know that the Ambassador of Maurtia Falls, Lord Petyr Baelish, has done me a favor in helping me to establish my law firm.
In return, he has asked that I assist in gaining votes for a man named Sam Merlotte. I know little of this man other than that the Lord thinks him... naive. Malleable. And he has offered me a thousand dollars per voter turned to his cause, which I would be happy to use to assist our organization.
This can easily be done on my own, but I figured I'd let you know, and perhaps get a feel for if this would be something worth bringing to the group at large.
Greetings, Dio. Thank you kindly for this information. The Ambassador's offer is most interesting, and will be carefully considered.
I can tell you that the organization is taking an interest in this election. And I have had discussions of my own with Ambassador Baelish regarding Sam Merlotte. But what benefits Lord Baelish is not necessarily of benefit to us. He has his own agenda, and follows his own path.
Earn his money as you wish, but be aware- we may yet put our power behind another candidate.
Hello, Count. I hope you are well, despite all the strange events happening of late. If you have time, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions regarding someone you might know. His name is Anakin Skywalker.
I intend to accomplish a great many things, Doctor. But if you are referring to the event I have just announced, my hope is to rally the imPorts and our supporters toward positive changes in the government's policies.
And to make it clear to the authorities that our cooperation with them will be greater if they listen to what we have to say.
[ Iwai had to spend a long, long time deliberating over whether or not it was right for him to get in contact with the Count. He wouldn't say he was scared of Dooku, exactly, but he doesn't know how the old man works - if Iwai disappointed him, or made him angry, how would he react? He didn't want to believe the Count would use violence against him, not when he still believes in The Constellation, but five people are dead and he's been roped back into having connections with the mafia, a life he left a long, long time ago. He needs reassurance that this is still... an honorable organization. So. His face is on screen, tired but determined, guarded as ever. ]
I've gotta talk to you. It ain't about anythin' bad. Not really. I've just got some questions, and you're the only one who can answer 'em. Are you free to talk?
[Dooku smiles to Iwai in the video. His voice is pleasant and welcoming. Behind his face though, his mind is dark and suspicious. Has the new recruit's resolve weakened already?]
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