multiversallogs | anything that's dead shall be regrown

If there's one thing both men have been able to agree on, it's the necessity for good security, and the fact that good security includes the liberal use of video surveillance inside their building. And that means Adrian is aware of Lex's arrival, and enters the lab not very many minutes after.

"Interesting," he says, in way of greeting, coming around the table to have a look at both man and snake. "We're starting quite the menagerie here."

The security is one of many reasons why Lex doesn't bother telling Adrian himself that he's returned from the mission. He knows the man will show up eventually and when he does Lex merely nods at the understood greeting.

"Yeah. Remarkably strong for their size. I regret that I couldn't bring back a live one, but with how aggressive they are I would have at least needed a better form of containment that what was provided. They don't live anywhere outside the fog as far as I can tell."

"Another time, perhaps. I'm sure we can learn plenty from this one, it looks fresh." He tilts his head at the snake, considering. "I can put it on ice while you clean up, and help with dissection later."

It's not phrased as a request but in the language of Adrian Veidt it's pretty close to one, acknowledging that Lex brought the creature in, and therefore has the right to decide what to do with it. Their partnership is still a little too new for just assuming that things will be equally shared.

Lex allows for a moment of contemplation before answering. This is his find and he doesn't owe anyone anything, but he also knows that together they share experience that the other doesn't have.

"I think that would be a good idea," he concedes, leaving Adrian to it while he exits to change his clothing and once again examine the bite. He returns wearing slacks and a loose fitting cotton shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows. "I hope you didn't decide to continue without me.

While Lex is changing, Adrian does precisely what he offered, carefully packing the creature in ice and setting up the equipment they'll need to examine it. He gets out a pair of lab coats for them as well, knowing that neither of them own much in the way of wash-and-wear clothing. Who knows what kind of mess the insides of this thing might produce?

"I'm hurt that you'd doubt my word, Mr. Luthor." The pleasant smile belies that statement, and Adrian offers both a lab coat and a scalpel. "I've set up a video camera as well. Consider me your assistant for the time being."

After they've cleaned up the lab and washed up themselves (and at least in Adrian's case, changed clothes, because fabric absorbs smells even if you keep the stains off it), the two men convene in the kitchen. Where Adrian is more than happy to benefit from Lex's cooking skills and current willingness to put them to good use.

"How exactly did you end up learning to cook?" he asks, taking up a position leaning against the counter, well out of the way of where Lex is working.

Lex changes clothes for the third time that day and for the first time is finally wearing something more presentable than plain, loose fitting clothing. He indulges in one of his better dress shirts, a light blue that he knows highlight his features. He has no plans to leave again for the night, but after spending so long in filth he wants to look and feel presentable.

"My parents left me to myself a lot. I couldn't always count on them or a housekeeper for meals so I learned how to do it myself." He withdraws two wine glasses from the cupboard and fills them both with a Riesling he's grown fond of within the city. He places a glass in front of Adrian before taking his own and returning to the pot on the stove. "Nothing all at once of course, though I did once attempt chicken cordon bleu when I was eight."

Adrian gives the choice of clothing a subtle smile of approval, with a more obvious one for the offer of wine. Sharing housing wasn't an ideal arrangement for him at first, but he's learning its benefits, and he's pleased at the luck of sharing with someone who knows how to be a gracious host.

"I'm disturbed by the idea that your parents didn't employ reliable staff." The idea of being left on his own is less of a surprise. Adrian's own childhood wasn't exactly rife with companionship. "But possibly less disturbed than I am by the idea of an eight-year-old attempting chicken cordon bleu. Dare I ask how it turned out?"

"Housekeepers were for cleaning, nannies were for infants. I was raised to be independent." And ruthless, calloused, and unflinching to name a few other qualities, and certainly not in a way Lex would have chosen for himself. "It wasn't a matter of incompetence so much as bootstraps."

He tips the contents of the pot into a strainer and leaves it in the sink while he busies himself with a saucepan. "It was as awful as you'd expect it to be. Thankfully I never attempted to serve anyone." He turns down the heat and allows the pan to simmer, finally turning his attention fully to Adrian with drink in hand. "I wasn't aware that being able to cook was that surprising."

"I have a feeling our parents had different ideas about child-rearing," Adrian muses. He doesn't elaborate, instead smiling at Lex's remarks about his early attempts at playing chef, but it seems the man is intent on turning the conversation back to Adrian's own comments. Adrian carefully maneuvers it back.

"I'd call it unexpected in someone from a privileged background." No judgment there, just a statement of fact. "Were you given professional lessons, or is this all just the result of childhood experimenting?"

"I've taken lessons from private chefs," Lex admits. As much as he'd like for a skill to be his own doing, Adrian knows Lex's obvious strengths and pretending like this was one of them would be pretty insulting to them both.

"And I don't know about different ideas. You're certainly not lacking in independence." He gently turns the conversation once more, giving Adrian a compliment to ease the topic of making him the subject of conversation.

"And had other private tutors as well, I imagine." They've already touched on the fact that Lex has self-defense training as well, it would make sense that his father would have wanted to provide him with every possible opportunity.

Adrian's smile grows mildly amused, and he sips at his wine and then looks away for a moment, gathering his thoughts. It isn't that he minds being the topic at hand, but rather that Lex's questions are delving into areas beyond the standard answer he usually reserves for inquiries about his childhood. "My parents were more invested in maintaining a certain lifestyle than they were in indulging the interests of a child, and they were both dead by the time I was seventeen. What independence I hadn't acquired in my youth, I picked up very quickly."

"Tutors when the time was right for them. I went to boarding school until college so lessons were for breaks or when I got older and could schedule my own." He dishes the food out onto plates and serves Adrian before taking his own seat.

He pauses after Adrian finishes his own statement, giving it the attention it deserves. He doesn't feel sorry for Adrian and he doesn't coddle him, but he does understand how talking about these things can cause one's mind to go to unwelcome places and he's willing to match Adrian beat for beat.

"My interests were never an issue. I was groomed to be the successful heir of LuthorCorp in the event of my father's death. I was," he stops, touching his fork to the food, "much less sure of myself than you were after my mother died. I understood the importance of image and I dutifully made what appearances were required of me, but mostly stayed away when it was convenient for my father to not have a son."

"I had private school in the city." And was a perfectly average B student, just like his parents wanted. "Although they did at least encourage my interest in gymnastics."

Adrian divides his attention between Lex and his plate, wondering how such different parenting styles wound up producing men with such similar goals. "You seem to have done a good job overcoming that lack of self-assurance. I was raised to consider image before everything else myself, albeit not quite the same kind of image that I imagine your father had in mind when he paraded you out."

Lex shakes his head. "Probably not. My father fluctuated between laissez-faire parenting or intense and disciplinarian. I remember being quizzed on Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, with swift retribution if I gave the wrong answer. No son of Lionel Luthor's was going to be weak and my flaws were drilled out one way or another."

He addresses Adrian's previous statement about different styles and similar goals. "I'm not saying that I believe in fate, but I do think certain things were meant to happen. Without any of that I wouldn't be where I am today and I have no regrets about the place in the world that I've carved for myself." While Lex doesn't always like to necessarily be reminded of his childhood, he doesn't have any great difficulty sharing. How he was raised was simply a fact that he couldn't change. Events that occurred as a result of that however are kept far closer to the chest.

Adrain tries to imagine how things would have been different had his own parents pushed him to succeed instead of holding him back. "I have a feeling that, when we were children, we'd have enjoyed trading places. It's interesting to me, that while you sound as though you didn't appreciate the way you were raised at the time, you do now. It's also interesting to me that you don't mention your mother."

He knows he's probably broached a more personal subject than Lex would have preferred, but something in him wants to push for more. Wants to understand what this man's life was like, what forces made him into the man he is today.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say appreciate," Lex says with a touch more bitterness than he intends. "But I do see the value in certain things."

Adrian's question causes a shift in Lex's demeanor. What easiness the conversation had halts immediately and though he is eating in his own home, his body language reverts to the familiar closed off poise meant for the board room. "She died when I was young," is all that Lex will grant Adrian for the moment until he is given reason to say more. "I think it's your turn."

Edited 2011-08-15 21:36 (UTC)

It's as Adrian suspected, and although he can't say he regrets asking the question (he'll ask it again, worded differently, at another time, because there's a story there and he wants it), he is sorry to have caused the change in atmosphere that descends on them.

Unfortunately, he does perhaps regret the fact that his misstep has pushed his own history back into the spotlight, and it's a few minutes before he responds. When he does, his tone is neutral and light, as if he's speaking about someone he has only a passing familiarity with. "It was very important to my parents that our family maintain the appearance of being utterly normal in every way. And it was made clear to me from an early age that high achievers draw attention, and so I worked very hard to be as average as I possibly could. High marks made my parents uncomfortable, as did exhibiting any special interest in scholarly pursuits, so I did most of my studying on my own in secret."

Lex allows Adrian to speak and eats slowly. His eyes may be turned downward but his every attention is on Adrian's words. He doesn't want to talk about himself just yet, but he does want to continue along this line of conversation. If that makes him a hypocrite he has no qualms with being one.

He finally looks up with a slight tilt of the head to the side, speaking quietly. "What made you want to study despite the attitude of your parents?" His own were quick to squash any desires that didn't coincide with theirs. How he and Adrian were raised so differently is fascinating, and he wants to know more beyond the carefully constructed image that he's been allowed to see. Lex may know Adrian slightly better than the others of this city, but he understands perfectly clearly that Adrian doesn't stop putting on a show just because he is at home.

"I...needed to."

Adrian doesn't infuse much emotion into the things he says -- even when he's passionate or angry about something, it's all still carefully contained. But he also doesn't often converse about topics he hasn't prepared himself for in advance, or discussed repeatedly until he can recite the carefully constructed story in his sleep. This feels uncomfortable, a little dangerous even, but it's also something that he's surprised to realize he might actually want to share.

"I know this sounds like conceit, but I always felt so much smarter than everyone around me. Until I realized how much it upset my parents, I excelled at everything. I was reading books far beyond my years, mastering subjects in school that children twice my age were studying. When I had to start pretending, I read everything I could get my hands on, spent hours at the library pretending to study for classes I barely had to think about to pass. I couldn't stand holding myself back, but I had no other choice."

He takes a deep breath, having said a great deal more than he'd planned, and reaches for his wine. "Which is why once I set out on my own, I promised myself I would never accept anything less than everything I wanted to accomplish."

"And have you?" Lex goes for the follow up question that is the most logical, but also one of the riskiest. He doesn't feel badly about asking, Adrian had done the same. He also knows that the difficult things are best accompanied with something to ease the bitterness. The wine helps them both in that regard, but Lex also knows that Adrian's ego is in play and carefully handles it alongside the question.

"I understand the need for constant improvement, Veidt Enterprises speaks for itself, and not to mention your time as a mask." He sets down his silverware and holds his fingers against the stem of his wineglass. "Back home we talked about mutual goals. Were these in your plans of everything?"

Edited 2011-08-16 06:11 (UTC)

"Not yet." There's no bitterness there, however. Adrian knows his plans are long-term, and although he was very close to being ready when he was snatched up and dropped in Baedal, he also refuses to believe that he can't pick up where he left off as soon as he returns.

He offers a slight smile at the compliment, nodding at Lex's mention of their previous discussions. "In some form, yes. I will admit to adjusting my goals slightly after meeting you, but the ultimate endgame is the same as it's always been. And I won't accept failure at any level, not anymore."

Now Adrian looks up and meets Lex's gaze. "What about your goals? Have they changed at all over the years since you were a child? Did you want something different from what they wanted for you?"

The answer to that one was a mixture of factors. Lex didn't count on Adrian to understand, but this was something that he could reply to without flinching. "I wouldn't say they've completely shifted so much as evolved. Regardless of whether or not I want that position, I am the heir to LuthorCorp. Despite any ideas that my father gets, the company is mine. I used to resent being forced to fill someone else's shoes, but I can have what I want without doing that."

"I progressed from a shy child to an angry one, but I began to realize that embracing my status rather than resisting it bought me the unexpected effect of gaining that independence I wanted. Instead of hiding in my father's shadow I learned to step out of it while still playing by his rules, and I think it scares him." Like Adrian, Lex is certain that his time within Baedal is temporary, and when the time comes to leave he will return with a knowledge none around him can touch, climbing the ladder he'd built for himself. It also wouldn't hurt to put a prodigal son slant on things to thrust him into the spotlight once again.

But that was for the future. "It's like that German proverb: Anger without power is folly." He shakes his head, clearly remembering something of the past. "I had a lot of anger, still do in some ways, admittedly. But someone can't let that be the driving force behind everything they do."

Edited 2011-08-16 08:15 (UTC)

"Were my own parents still alive, I suspect they'd sympathize with your father," Adrian says wryly. He's been listening carefully, and as Lex talks his expression relaxes slowly. Their experiences are too different for Adrian to truly connect with what he's being told, but the results are similar enough for him to at least be able to understand intellectually. And maybe, despite the obvious distaste the other man has for that aspect of his childhood, to feel a little envious of the attention.

The German proverb catches him a little by surprise, although Lex of course would have no idea how appropriate his choice of sources is, and Adrian smiles a little. "True, but they also say: He who conquers his anger has conquered an enemy. Anger will only take you so far. It's when you finally step beyond it that you can act with true clarity." A pause, and then he adds, in a more conversational tone, "Your accent is very good. Did you study German at your boarding school or abroad?"

Lex catches the shift in tone, and it's interesting to note that it's the return proverb that is delivered in a more serious manner than when Adrian is obviously looking for more information. There's something at play with both of these lines of thought, and Lex is going to implement the same kind of strategy he had with Lionel: play by the other's rules to get what you want. While Lex doesn't have the same kind of issues with Adrian as he does with his family, he knows that the man is trying to get at something. After making that realization long ago that this is how Adrian operates, Lex knows that the best thing to do would be to avoid the man altogether. Yet he's always enjoyed playing with fire, and what was more, living with Adrian Veidt was almost a study in himself. They are alike in a lot of ways and nothing feeds the ego more than looking into a mirror.

"A little of both, actually. I studied in school but we have a house in Switzerland so when I went there I had to adapt pretty quickly." He shrugs before reaching for the bottle of wine and topping off his glass and doing the same for Adrian. "Regardless of environment, my accent's more German than Swiss. It's how I first learned and it stuck."

"No, the accent's definitely not Swiss." The remark is made with some authority, as though Adrian Veidt is an expert on European accents. He knows he's walking a perilous line, offering more bits of information about himself than even people like Dan Dreiberg have ever been allowed, but if there's one thing he's come to know about the man sitting across the table, it's that nothing comes for free. If Adrian wants to know more about Lex Luthor, he's going to have to be willing to pay the price.

"We never traveled. In fact I was seventeen before I so much as set foot outside New York." He's made up for it since, of course, but Adrian's childhood was an isolated one. It's no wonder his role models had to come from ancient myths.

The conversation has become far more interesting than the meal. "Yet you've seem to have plenty of travel since then. I wasn't aware that your interest in ancient civilizations lent itself to being an authority on modern European language as well." His voice is casual and not at all accusatory, but Adrian has to know that Lex can read people, and Adrian especially, well enough to notice a detail downplayed as insignificant.

It's not outright saying that he noticed the slip, but he is still following that intended line and giving Adrian enough room to talk without being cornered. There is something so close to the surface that Adrian isn't yet saying, and there's a fine line between coaxing and saying too much.

"I spent most of the year following my parents' deaths traveling the Mediterranean and the Middle East. And of course, I have overseas business investments now." As does Lex, so he knows how that works.

Adrian picks up on the subtle hint that Lex drops, letting him know that the remark about accents wasn't overlooked, and for once he's unsure how to continue. It would be foolish to make a big deal out of it by refusing to acknowledge the subject, but it's an incredibly sensitive subject, and now they're moving into territory that Adrian has never been prepared to discuss. The fact that he's so at a loss is evident even through the mask of cool composure he always wears, and in fact he leaves his seat to refill their wine glasses before making any attempt at a reply.

Once he's seated again, and only after another swallow of wine, he responds. "English is my second language, although I grew up speaking it alongside German. My parents never learned it as well as I, and we spoke German a great deal at home. They emigrated from Germany before I was born."

Lex watches Adrian refill their wine glasses and he instantly knows that he hit a subject that goes far deeper than he had anticipated. He'd added more wine to their glasses not long ago, and Adrian's usually carefully practiced movements are completely unnecessary.

Immigration itself isn't anything to be ashamed of, and Lex doesn't need to insult Adrian's intelligence by saying as much. "My grandparents were from Scotland, I'm not so far removed either." He pulls his own glass closer, at least going through the motions that the refill was necessary. "Is it something you have to constantly think about, hiding your accent?" He doesn't ask why Adrian feels the need to keep his heritage a secret, nor does he ask if Adrian hides an accent. He keeps his voice even, possibly a touch softer than usual and added his own information about himself least this come across as an interrogation.

In a way, Lex being so good at reading between the lines makes this easier on Adrian. He can let things go unexplained and know that he won't be asked. "I sometimes drop the pretense in private," he admits, and surely Lex understands why he's never heard a touch of a German accent before this. "But it isn't a struggle, really. My accent is very slight, it's not difficult cover up."

He looks across the table wryly, and decides that this is as far as he's willing to go right now. If Lex discovers further details about Adrian's background on his own, he'll deal with that when it happens. But there are topics of conversation that aren't suitable for the dinner table. "Have you ever visited your grandparents' home?"

Edited 2011-08-17 16:26 (UTC)

Lex is fine with letting the subject drop. There are certain things he doesn't discuss with Adrian and he knows that the other man has his reasons. Pushing won't do any good, but a little digging might. He doesn't tell Adrian that he can allow his accent to slip here, but if they are already speaking in German Lex reasons that he probably doesn't have to.

"Where I live, that castle I told you about, is supposedly an ancestral home. But as far as my grandparents go, no. They died before I was born and aren't often discussed." It doesn't escape Lex that the topic of conversation as moved back to him.

Edited 2011-08-19 08:06 (UTC)

Adrian is much more used to giving interviews than having personal conversations, and once he reaches the point where he feels he's revealing too much, he withdraws from the topic and finds another. The topic he's chosen this time is Lex.

"I'd like to be able to see that castle someday." He takes advantage of the natural pause to finish his meal, sitting back to contemplate Lex over his wine glass once he's done. "It's just you and your father now?"

"When we leave you'll be the first person I invite over," it's said casually, but it's a promise and Luthors always keep them. It's not everyone who understands rebuilding your status after being transported to an interdimensional city.

"My father doesn't live with me, but yes. I have a half brother, Lucas, though he's not interested in the family and I can't say I blame him." Knowing Lionel there are probably other half siblings that Lex doesn't know about and he's not sure if he wants what he would find if he went looking.

Adrian wonders absently what it would be like to have a brother, what it would be like to be the black sheep who keeps away, whether he would have found it easier to learn to connect with people if there had been someone close to him as a child. Then he dismisses the line of thought as useless and irrelevant. He's on his way to exactly where he wants to be, and even Jon can't travel back in time to change the way things happened.

"And you plan to take over LuthorCorp eventually." It's a statement of fact, not a question. There are some things about Lex that Adrian already knows. "Has that always been your plan for the future?"

"Mostly." Lex remembers a conversation with the only friend he had at Excelsior Academy. It's a memory of a pleasant time, but the bitterness of what had subsequently come to pass mars any would be happiness.

"For a brief time when I was in school I had plans to be a lawyer. Pro bono and helping those who couldn't help themselves because I couldn't imagine anything that would annoy my father more."

Edited 2011-08-20 05:52 (UTC)

That draws a small smile from Adrian, and he raises his eyebrows at the image of Lionel Luthor's reaction to such a plan. "Yes, I would imagine he'd find that a hard pill to swallow. Of course there's no reason you can't still study law, if you have an interest in it."

Adrian is an accomplished businessman and scientist, after all, and he didn't even attend university. There's no doubt Lex is intelligent enough to follow whatever course of learning he chooses. "No regrets about the change in your plans?"

"None at all." There's a visible shift in Lex's demeanor. He smiles, a real smile, not one reserved for polite conversation but one that changes everything about him. His eyes seem almost brighter and though he knows that he shouldn't give too much of himself away, especially not with Adrian, this is something he wants to share with the world.

"I was thinking too small. Yes, that would help people and be a thorn in my father's side, but staying with LuthorCorp can do the same exponentially. I'm using it to change the world, Mr. Veidt. My project before I was sent here will reshape everything when I get back to work on it. Plants will grow in the harshest conditions: sand, snow, places with no moisture. It's not perfect yet, but I've made some real breakthroughs. I'm also working on something that will not only yield more plentiful crops, but keep food fresher longer."

He's leaning forward now, gesturing with a hand. It's nothing broad, but it's there. "I'm going to do more than aid one person at a time while waiting for the law. I'm going to end hunger."

Adrian can appreciate a response like that, and it helps to strengthen his trust in the man as a business partner to know that he's taken what was perhaps not his idea path into the future and made it into something he feels proud of.

"I have...a very similar goal, as you know. I think our work together here in Baedal could be very productive." The impact that putting their ideas together and refining their research and experimental techniques might have on furthering both their visions once they return home is enormous. "I can only imagine the good sharing ideas between us will do for the world, both here and once we leave."

"So does that mean you plan to pursue your goal here too? I don't need to tell you that effectiveness is a completely different animal here."

Lex pushes away his plate and after Adrian indicates that he too is finished Lex takes the dishes away from the table and rests them in the sink. He picks up his glass and begins walking toward the living area to continue their chat.

"I would think the largest things to think about would be scale and procedure."

Edited 2011-08-22 15:24 (UTC)

"I'm aware of that, but I relish the challenge. If I can overcome the unique obstacles presented by this place, what I learn from it can only provide that much more of an advantage when I get home again."

Adrian rises as Lex does, following in his wake into the living room and settling on one of the large, comfortable couches. "Yes, the work here in Baedal is certainly going to have to be done on a much more restricted scale. And not only because I don't have anything near the resources or contacts available to me at home."

He also doesn't have Jon and his abilities to tap into. "It does mean that unfortunately, I'll have to move more slowly as well. And I think income is going to be a factor. I'll need more than what I'm bringing in just working for the city itself."

"So we don't work for the city," is Lex's immediate response. It's not a question of whether or not this is about the both of them, they had agreed to a mutually beneficial business partnership and that is what's going to happen.

"You and I have enough experience working for ourselves outside of this place. I'm sure you already have something in mind." Not that Lex doesn't, but it's an invitation.

Adrian shakes his head. Working solely for themselves would be his preference, but he's not sure they're in a position yet to manage it. "I think we're going to need to continue working for the city for now. We need the income, and while I do have some ideas, none of them would allow us immediate financial independence."

He stretches out his legs, crossing them at the ankles, and sips at his wine for a moment as he thinks. "I have noticed the property values are dropping in certain areas of the city, however. It would be foolish to overlook an investment opportunity like that."

"I'm not saying that we give up our respective jobs completely, simply that a venture on the side doesn't have to involve the city's backing." Lex is a very proud individual but he's not stubborn enough to think that he can make it on his own resources here just yet.

"Real estate would be a perfect example. That area is one of LuthorCorp's subsidiaries, actually." The hint is not at all subtle as Lex sips on his own wine across from Adrian.

"Agreed," Adrian replies, smiling slightly as he realizes that they do seem to be looking at things along the same lines after all. "And in fact I'd prefer any ventures I took part in, aside from the job I already have established, to be backed solely by myself. Or by myself and a single partner."

He raises his glass in a salute toward Lex, clearly suggesting who that partner would be. "Veidt Enterprises has done some real estate investing as well, although that isn't our central focus. Do you have some ideas in that direction?"

Lex raises his glass in return, smiling with instant acceptance. "I'd advise looking toward business districts than residential myself. Also we should take a look as to tends in what the government buys, and where. I would need to see if eminent domain works the same way here as it does back home, but either way, it's a certain paycheck."

The day has turned into a rather exciting one with both discovery and a new business plan in the works. It's refreshing to see the other man just as on board.

Edited 2011-08-30 06:43 (UTC)

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